Phoenix Fire
by constantdaydreamergirl
Summary: After Hannah's disappearance, she struggles to find her way home with regained sight. But the rest of the gang have problems of their own, especially with Aster, whose powers are different than before. Third story in Phoenix Warrior series.
1. Chapter 1: Memories

Welcome to the third story for the Phoenix Warrior series

**Welcome to the third story for the Phoenix Warrior series! Cool name, huh? Anyways, in this story, expect shocking pasts, new enemies, surprises and…er…well you'll see yourself. Here's the first chapter! Enjoy…**

Chapter 1

Memories

_On a bright sunny day, two children of six and four years old lay on the grass in the shade of an oak tree on top of a hill, staring up at the clouds. One was a boy with silver hair and blue eyes; the other was a girl with a blank stare and ginger hair._

"_Hey, Hannah. Don't you think that cloud looks like a rabbit?" The boy asked, pointing at the sky._

"_Aster, I don't know what rabbits or clouds look like." Hannah said, annoyed._

"_Sorry…forgot." Aster apologised._

"_Y'know, I always wondered if there was a place in the clouds." Hannah said. "It's hard to imagine things, being blind and all. But…it would be a cool thing, wouldn't it?"_

"_What would?" Aster asked, sitting up._

"_Well…if there was a place where you could go…where nobody was unhappy, and you never ever got old." Hannah sat up, beaming. "Wouldn't it be awesome if such a place existed?"_

"_Well, yeah but…what would you give for something like that?"_

…

Aster stood in the room Hannah stayed in before Daisy was kidnapped, recalling the childhood memory. Her room had light green paint on the walls that were decorated with white daisies with matching curtains.

_That felt like such a lifetime ago._ Aster thought. _What time is it?_ Aster glanced at a clock hanging in the hallway of the flat. It read eight fifteen in the morning._ Auntie_ _Karen will be leaving soon._ Aster walked out of Hannah's room and wandered into the living room. Karen sat on the sofa with two suitcases by her side. She glanced to her right and, after noticing Aster, turned around quickly.

_What was that all about?_ Aster wondered.

"You ready to go?" James asked, appearing beside Aster.

"Well, duh! I've been waiting ages! Of course I am!" Karen exclaimed, picking up her suitcases and making her way out of the living room.

"Uh…" Aster started, but Karen walked straight past him as if he didn't exist.

"C'mon, James. I wanna get the hell outta this dump." Karen said. She put down her suitcases to open the front door.

"Karen, aren't you going to say goodbye to Aster?" James asked, walking out of the living room with Aster. Karen looked over her shoulder with a vicious glare.

"Why should I?" She asked acidly. "All of this happened because of him." Aster gasped.

"Wha…Karen, you take that back!" James snapped. "Aster woke up early specially to see you off and all you do is-"

"Oh, what would you know James?" Karen turned back to the door. "C'mon, let's go."

…

Outside, Karen loaded a red car with her suitcases, whilst Aster and James stood at the top of the steps leading to the flats.

"I'm sorry about how Karen acted. Out of all of us, she was hit the worst." James apologised.

"I can understand how she feels." Aster said. "But she does know Hannah is alive, right?"

"My guess is that she was too shocked about the whole ordeal to even know. She thinks Hannah is dead."

"Figures." Aster muttered.

"Sheesh, James. Hurry up!" Karen yelled impatiently.

"You're going with her?"

"She doesn't feel safe unless I'm with her, so yes."

"You will come back right?" Aster asked suddenly.

"What?" Aster shook his head quickly.

"I'm sorry. I'm still slightly nervous after the castle." James smiled and placed a hand on Aster's shoulder.

"I'll be back in a few hours, okay?

"Sure," James walked down the steps to the red car, paused to wave at Aster over his shoulder, and opened the passenger seat.

"Well it's about time! You can save the father son moments until later!" Karen exclaimed.

"Why are you being such a bitch?" James asked, before he stepped into the car and closed the door behind him. Karen glared over to Aster.

"Er…see you at Christmas?" Aster said nervously with a smile.

"Hannah didn't deserve what happened to her. And you should've never come here." Aster's eyes widened. "Don't think I don't know it. That sorceress is your mother. And I know that you spoke to Hannah in your dreams. Ever since you got here, you've been nothing but trouble. And now, you said Hannah was sacrificed because she had powers but…" Karen squeezed her eyes shut. "You! You're a phoenix warrior too." She opened the car door but before she stepped inside, she glared at Aster angrily.

"Why couldn't you have died instead of her?" Karen got in the car and slammed the door shut. James' and Karen's angry yells could be heard inside the car as it drove off down the road. Aster watched it leave, trembling all over after what Karen said. His eyes stung and his vision blurred.

"_Why couldn't you have died instead of her?"_

Aster spun around quickly and ran back into the building with one arm hiding his eyes. He ran up the stairs with Karen's harsh words echoing through his head. His flat was on the third floor so it didn't take him long to become one floor closer to being alone. Magdala opened the door to her flat just as Aster ran up the final flight of stairs.

_That boy looked really sad. I wonder if he's okay…_ Two elderly women, one wearing a pink dress and the other a green one, walked down the stairs gossiping loudly.

"Did you hear? Another one of those murders happened in this city." The green dressed women said.

"That's the third one in a week. This is getting scary."

"And every single time, a little girl around thirteen years old is seen running off."

"Poor soul. Wait, maybe it's "her"!" The pink dressed elderly woman exclaimed. The other gasped.

"You think so? But she went missing five years ago."

"She'll be in her teens by now. It's definitely her." The two women went down the stairs, the voices growing quieter. Magdala had heard every word of the conversation and smiled to herself.

"Looks like I've got some competition after big brother dies."

…

"Have you seen Jesse anywhere?" Melody asked Chloe, who had her ear against a door.

"Quiet. He's on the phone in that room and I'm trying to listen." Chloe hissed.

"Isn't it rude to eavesdrop on people on the phone?" Haru asked, his arms folded. He wasn't wearing his usual outfit littered with belts, but instead wore a red tartan patterned button up shirt undone over a white polo neck t-shirt with dark blue denim jeans.

"Then why did you come along?" Chloe said as a comeback.

"Er…I was curious."

"AH HA!" Melody yelled. "You wanted to know what was going on as well."

"Shut up! Do you want us to be discovered?" Chloe snapped. Melody and Haru huddled close to the door and listened to Jesse's voice.

"What? Are you serious? No it's…that's fantastic. How long until-…a week? Great!"

"Who's he calling?" Haru asked.

"The hospital I think." Chloe answered. Melody's eyes widened.

"The hospital?" She repeated. "Jesse told me his girlfriend was in the hospital. Maybe this is about her."

"Okay thanks for the call." Footsteps approached the door, and just as Jesse opened the door, the three spies fell onto the floor in Jesse's room. Jesse stared at them in surprise. "Were you spying on me?"

"Uh oh." Melody said.

"Busted!" Chloe said.

"Run!" Haru yelled. The three of them scrambled onto their feet and ran out of the room, with Jesse in hot pursuit.

"He's gonna kill us!" Melody yelled.

"I told you not to spy on him!" Haru shouted. They ran down the corridor leading to the bookcase.

"Get back here! OW!" Jesse yelled, but he suddenly ran into Aster, who had stood around the corner and had his back to Jesse. "What are you doing standing around corners, Aster?" Jesse asked. Aster said nothing, voices repeating themselves in his head.

"_Even though I may appear dead, I'm not,"_

"Er…Aster?" Jesse said.

"_Why couldn't you have died instead of her?"_

"Hello? Anyone home?" Jesse asked, tapping Aster on the shoulder. He still didn't get a response.

"_Wouldn't it be awesome if such a place existed?"_

"HEY!" Jesse yelled, placing a hand on Aster's shoulder and spinning him round. "It's rude to ignore people when they're…oh." Jesse's angry expression softened after seeing Aster's face. Aster's eyes shone sadly and he looked close to crying. "Hannah was your cousin, wasn't she? I'm sorry…I didn't-"

"No it's not that. It's just that…Karen left a few minutes ago and she said some things I wish I hadn't heard."

"C'mon! Is that what you're so fussed about? Compared to the injuries and burns you've had, words are just paper cuts." Jesse said.

"But Karen knows Hannah is still alive, yet she wishes I was sacrificed instead of her." Jesse's eyes widened.

"That bitch!" Jesse said angrily.

"I just need to clear my head. Sorry." Aster walked past Jesse and walked back into the passage. Jesse stared after Aster sadly.

"Quick! While he's distracted!" Chloe yelled, and she, Haru and Melody ran past Jesse and into their own rooms.

"Humph. I shouldn't bother about them anyway." Jesse muttered. He smiled to himself. "Selena. Finally. You're gonna be okay."

…

Haru ran into his bedroom and closed the door behind him quickly. He breathed a sigh of relief.

"Why do I even hang around with this lot?" Haru wondered. He turned around to his bedroom. His outfit of belts lay folded up neatly on a chair the knee high boots on top. On a chest of drawers, his green cloak hung over an object. Haru lifted it up, and underneath was Sekio's skull surrounded by belts in the water.

"I don't know why I even have this." Haru placed the cloak back over the jar, but part of the cloak brushed past a frame, which fell face down on the floor. Haru picked it up and looked into it. His eyes widened. It was a photograph of him when he was eleven years old. His blonde hair was still waist length and tied in a ponytail, but his face was filled with childhood innocence. Sekio stood by his side, belts not wrapped around his head and brown hair on top of his head at aged fourteen. Standing behind them was a girl of sixteen. She had light blue eyes and loose blue hair down to her waist. Haru looked at the photo sadly.

_Nevara…_He thought.

_Flashback_

_A mother duck swam through the river with three yellow ducklings behind her. On the riverbank, an eleven year old Haru stared at the ducks with a gloomy expression._

"_There you are!"_

_Haru turned around, and spotted a young sixteen year old girl behind him. She wore a long short sleeved beige dress down to her ankles that was split on both sides up to the middle of her thighs._

"_What do you want, Nevara?" Haru snapped._

"_C'mon. That's no way to talk to your big sis." Nevara sat down next to Haru. "Now what are you doing sitting out here on your own? You're supposed to be with your big brother training."_

"_Exactly."_

"_Huh?" Nevara said._

"_Every single time I learn a move, I always mess it up somehow. But Sekio gets it almost perfect. It's not fair." Nevara looked at her younger brother._

"_Is that why you come here? So you don't look like an idiot in front of your brother?" Haru nodded._

"_Sometimes I think the whole thing is pointless."_

"_You're right. Everything is pointless, if you don't believe in yourself." Haru turned to Nevara, surprised. "And y'know, this morning, Dad said to Mom that out of the two of you, you're the one that seems to be getting better. Not Sekio." Haru beamed._

"_Really? That's what Dad said?" Nevara nodded. The mother duck and her ducklings waddled onto the riverbank towards the two siblings. "Wow. That's the first time I've heard Dad praise me." He laughed slightly and stroked a nearby duckling's feathers. "It's kinda embarrassing, really." Nevara laughed._

"_Now you're going to start believing in yourself, right?" Nevara asked. Haru stood up smiling._

"_Yeah. And I'll become the best stone wielder ever. Thanks Nevara." Haru ran off across the field._

"_Wait for me!" Nevara yelled, running after Haru, laughing._

_That was only six years ago now._ Haru thought, staring at the photo. _And I've kept my promise, sister. I've believed in myself and become stronger. But...then you left._

_Flashback_

_Clatter! Clunk! Scuff!_

_Haru opened his eyes sleepily from the noises. He sat up in bed and listened. Seconds later, the noises stopped, and he spotted Nevara walk past his doorway with a beige bag._

"_Nevara?" Haru whispered. He climbed out of bed and followed her through their small house. When Haru next turned a corner, he spotted Nevara go out the front door._

_Where's she going? Haru thought. He opened the front door, and spotted Nevara walking away._

"_Nevara." He called out. She stopped walking and turned around._

"_Haru?" Nevara said. Haru ran up to his sister._

"_Where are you going? Are you running away?" Haru asked. Nevara turned away._

"_No. I'm leaving because…I have to." Haru's eyes widened._

"_Have to?" Haru repeated. Nevara nodded._

"_Unlike you and Sekio, I don't have the powers of a stone wielder. I…I control the powers of winter. Because of that…" Nevara closed her eyes for a moment before opening them again. "I have to leave the family. And I'm never coming back." Haru gasped._

"_Never coming back?"_

"_Yes. I'm sorry, Haru. But that's what Mom and Dad said. Because I'm not a stone wielder like the rest of you, I have to leave home. Goodbye Haru. I'll definitely miss you the most." Nevara turned around and began to walk away._

"_Don't go!" Haru yelled, clinging onto Nevara's waist. Nevara gasped._

"_But, Haru…I have to."_

"_I don't care that you're not a stone wielder like the rest of us. You're still my sister, and I can't let you go. I won't let you leave." Nevara turned around and kneeled down to eye level with the eleven year old Haru._

"_Remember what I told you a month ago?" Haru nodded._

"_To always believe in myself and become stronger."_

"_Well, when I'm gone, I want you to become stronger than any stone wielder has ever become. Never stop believing in yourself, and you'll be able to beat anyone. Do that, and know I'll always be with you." Haru hugged Nevara tightly._

"_I'll miss you, big sister." Haru cried. Nevara returned the hug._

"_Always know that I love you, Haru…little brother." Tears fell down Haru's face as he gave his final goodbye to Nevara in the light of the full moon._

"Sister…" Haru whispered. He felt something roll down his face.

"Why am I crying?" Haru muttered, wiping his brown eyes with his hand. "That was six years ago now. She's a thing of the past." He placed the photo frame back next to the covered jar containing the skull and collapsed onto his bed.

_This is all too hectic._ Haru thought. He felt his eyelids droop._ Maybe if I shut my eyes for a moment, everything will be clearer._ Before he could stop himself, Haru's eyes were shut and he fell asleep right there and then.

…

Not too far away, a shadow in the shape of a woman stood on top of a hill overlooking domino city.

"I feel it…a worthy opponent." It muttered.

"Madam." Mokuren said, getting down on one knee behind the shadow. "Everything's ready. When do we attack and where?"

"That's simple enough. We attack the hospital. The phoenix boy and his friends are bound to come running." She smiled.

_And, hopefully, I'll see my enemy_. She thought.

**Well, that's it, folks. Sorry if that chapter was a tad bit short, but the next one should be a bit better. Then again, this chapter did show that Haru has a sister…Ah well, both good. See ya next time!**


	2. Chapter 2: Hospital Rescue

**Hello! Welcome to chapter two! God, that sounds so corny. Damn, I'm running out of things to write on author notes. Ah, well! Here's the next chappie…**

Chapter 2

Hospital Rescue

"Jesse! Phone call!" Haru yelled.

"Alright! I've been expecting them for ages!" Jesse exclaimed. He took the phone from Haru. "Hello?"

"Mr Andersen? This is Domino Hospital calling about your friend Selena." A woman on the other end said. "We're pleased to announce that she's woken up. Her parents will be here soon, and as her closest friend, it's right for you to know about her."

"She's out of the coma?" Jesse repeated.

"Yes"

"I…that's brilliant."

"We're glad you're happy. Because she said that the person she wants to see the most right now is you. You'll be able to visit her in…hey. What are you doing here?"

"Is something wrong?" Jesse asked.

"Excuse me for a moment," Jesse heard the woman put the phone down on the front desk, but the conversation was heard full by him. "Visiting hours in the afternoon doesn't start until one o'clock."

"Oh, we're not here for visiting." Jesse's eyes widened.

"Mokuren," He whispered.

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid you'll have to…hey, what's happening to that potted plant. It's getting bigger!" Jesse heard a crash. "Who're you? Is that frost? Around your hands? No wait, please. AAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!" The line went dead.

"What the hell was that?" Haru said.

"You could hear it?"

"Of course. That scream was so loud, who couldn't?"

"Hey, guys! You've got to get a look at this!" Aster yelled from the sofa. Haru and Jesse rushed to the widescreen television, which showed a newsman inside the hospital.

"I'm live at Domino Hospital, where two strange people are destroying this building with strange plants and frost."

"It's got to be Miranda. There's no mistaking it." Aster said.

"Until this attack subsides, we highly recommend everybody stayed indo-" A tree suddenly grew underneath the newsman, and Mokuren stepped in front of the camera with his bandaged face.

"Sorry. You're cancelled." Mokuren said acidly. Suddenly, the screen showed black and white specks of static, until the screen turned white and showed two words in black saying "technical difficulties."

"That's what they always say." Aster muttered.

"That does it." Jesse said. He picked up his bow and arrows from a wall and walked towards the exit.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" Haru asked.

"Where do you think?"

"No way! I'm not sure if you've been paying attention, but mom's followers are there. Are you trying to get yourself killed?!" Aster yelled.

"If need be, yes." Aster ran to Jesse and stood in front of the passageway, preventing him from entering. "Aster, get out the way."

"There's someone there you want to rescue, isn't there?" Aster asked.

"Yes. My girlfriend Selena just woke up from a year long coma. She could be in danger. I have to rescue her."

"I understand that." Haru said, standing next to Aster. "But right now, it's too dangerous. Promise us this, Jesse. Don't go to the hospital too soon." Jesse glanced down at the floor.

_What Haru said is right. It is too dangerous. But my girlfriend is in there. I have to save her._

"I promise." Jesse said, crossing his fingers behind his back.

_I'm sorry, guys._

…

Jesse opened his bedroom door quietly, being careful not to make it creak. He closed it slowly behind him and sneaked out through the passageway, looking around him in case someone was nearby. Eventually, he reached the bookcase and walked quietly into the flat. He turned the corner to the front door.

"Not going too early, huh?" Haru said, startling Jesse. Haru was leaning on the door with his arms folded.

"Er…no, I was just going…out for a walk." Jesse said quickly. Haru smirked.

"With your bow and arrows and light whip." Silence.

"Yeah,"

"You're not fooling anyone, Jesse." Jesse spun around, and Aster stood behind him. "Especially not me. I could tell you were lying when you made that promise."

"If you're that eager to rescue Selena…" Jesse spotted Jaden appear behind Aster from the shadows with a smile. "Then we're coming with."

"You are?"

"Yeah. My water skin's getting a little dusty." Aster said.

"And you'll need all the help you can get with those enemies. We don't know who the other one is, but we know that Mokuren is a deadly threat." Haru said.

"I don't," Aster pointed out. "What's his power anyway?"

"Oh, that's right. You were in that chair then." Jaden said. "Mokuren controls the earth like you, but it's mainly plants."

"You don't have to do this," Jesse said.

"It's what friends are for, right?" Jaden said. "Besides, I've got a score to settle with Mokuren." Jesse smiled.

"Alright." He said. "Let's rock and roll!"

…

The crescent moon shined brightly with the stars in the obsidian sky. Jaden, Aster, Haru and Jesse walked across the wet grass and soon, they faced Domino Hospital, which looked far from normal. Branches wove in and out of the windows and the metal shone with frost.

"Looks like this is the place." Jaden said. "Looks creepy. Ah well." He pulled out his ray gun and shot a spark in the air, which then exploded like fireworks.

"What was that for?!" Aster yelled.

"It's more interesting if they know we're coming."

"You're mad." Haru muttered, shaking his head.

"Oh, we'll probably get killed anyway." Jesse said. "So let's go." Jesse pulled on the entrance to the hospital, but it wouldn't move. He tried pulling it again, but again it didn't move. Jesse examined the door, and noticed that the cracks were filled with frost.

"Damn. It's sealed shut." Jesse hissed, kicking the door in frustration.

"Ahem." Aster coughed. "Let me handle this."

"What can you do? It's sealed up." Jesse asked.

"You forget…" With a simple flick of his wrist, the frost melted to water and moved away from the door onto the concrete floor. "That I'm a phoenix warrior of water."

"Right then. Let's go." Jaden yelled enthusiastically.

…

Mokuren looked outside one of the only unbroken windows of the hospital.

"Where are you?" Mokuren hissed. Suddenly, a flare burst in front of the window he was standing by, but Mokuren remained calm and didn't even flinch.

"What was that for?!"

"It's more interesting of they know we're coming"

"You're mad."

"Oh, we'll probably get killed anyway."

"Darn right," Mokuren muttered. A shadow appeared by his side.

"That boy with the brown hair. Is he the one you want?" Haru nodded.

"What about you? Is your enemy there?" The shadow scanned through the four friends until their eyes fell on a particular person. This person had a long blonde high ponytail down to their waist, a red checked shirt over a polo necked white t-shirt, dark denim jeans and brown loafers.

"Well?" Mokuren asked impatiently. The shadow nodded.

"Yes. Looks like we've hit the jackpot, my good friend."

…

"Careful here. It's a little slippery." Haru said as he navigated his way through the hospital corridors. The corridors were frozen solid and branches would poke out from the walls.

"Where's Selena's room?" Aster asked.

"It's on the fifth floor." Jesse answered.

"WHOA!" Jaden yelled, slipping on the icy floor and skidding on his stomach past Haru, Jesse and Aster. He skidded further and further down the corridor.

"Urgh! We had to have him tag along." Aster groaned, rolling his eyes.

"We should split up. Aster, you go after Jaden. Jesse and I will find the stairs." Aster nodded. He unfroze the ice on the floor with a simple water manipulating move and ran across the route where Jaden skidded.

"We should go carefully. Mokuren or that other person will be around here somewhere."

…

"OOF!" Jaden grunted, ramming head first into a wall. He stood up slowly rubbing his head. "Ow, that hurt." Suddenly, he felt the ice underneath his feet unfreeze.

"What the…"

"Jaden!" Aster yelled, running towards Jaden.

"Aster? Where's Haru and Jesse?"

"They went a different direction than us. I was told to go after you. Typical you to slip on ice."

"So, er. Where are we supposed to find stairs?" Jaden asked. Aster shrugged.

"I dunno." He glanced to his left, and his eyes widened.

"What's wrong?" Aster pointed ahead of him, and Jaden spotted tonnes of hospital patients and doctors and nurses frozen in suspended animation in their own ice cubes.

"Looks like someone's been busy." Jaden said, staring at an old man frozen in ice.

"Why would they attack a hospital?" Aster wondered. "There's nobody here they'd want. What if it's a trap?" Aster walked through the corridor of frozen bodies.

"Where are you going?" Jaden asked.

"You go down the other corridor. I'll go down this one. If there's one thing I know about hospitals, it's that they're like mazes." Aster turned the corner and vanished.

"Oh…kay. Wandering through a wrecked hospital…on my own…" Jaden took a deep breath. "It's okay. It's alright. I can cope on my own." He pushed a set of double doors open and walked through them. "I haven't had a chance to fight on my own yet. I'm not scared of anyone. I took out Mokuren on my own. Oh, wait. That's because I was mad." He paused in the middle of the corridor, where another one led to a dark hallway behind him. "Maybe if one of them was a duellist, I'd have no trouble. But then again, there's no way Miranda would hire a duellist. Or is there?" He said thoughtfully. Unknowingly to him, Mokuren appeared behind him in the shadows. Branches waved behind him with points as sharp as knives.

"Why do I have the feeling someone's behind me?" Jaden wondered. He turned around and his eyes widened.

"So, Jaden. We meet again." Mokuren hissed.

…

Aster walked through the wet hospital humming to himself.

_I wonder if Jaden is able to cope on himself._ Aster thought.

"Nah. I'm sure he'll be fine." He reassured himself. He looked up and stopped walking as he spotted a large flight of stairs leading to a multiple number of floors.

"Well…at least we know where Selena might be." He raised an eyebrow. "But where's-"

"MOKUREN!" Jaden yelled, skidding around the corner and running to Aster. Branches so thick they filled up the entire corridor shot out to where Jaden previously stood. Aster sighed.

"So much for that." He whipped out a communication medallion from his pocket. "Hey, Haru. Get over here. We've found Mokuren. And the stairs."

"Where in the hospital are you?" Haru asked. Jaden dashed to Aster's side.

"Aster, we need to get out of here. Now!" Jaden yelled.

"Gimme a minute will ya?!"

"I'll take that." Mokuren said, snatching the medallion out of Aster's hand with a branch shaped like a hand. The hand clenched into a fist and smashed the medallion. "You're mine, Jaden." He spotted Aster and smiled. "So you're the boy in the electric chair I saw. Hee hee. Watching you being tortured was so much fun. That look on your face." Mokuren chuckled to himself.

"Jaden. I've got an idea." Aster whispered. He turned back to Mokuren. "Well, you could say I've been just as eager to meet you, too." Jaden looked down and realised the water was freezing in a circular shaped platform. "So you control plants, do ya? I'm a wielder of earth too. The wonders never cease to exist, eh?"

"Why are you sputtering this rubbish?" Mokuren asked. "It's almost as if you're stalling for something."

"Got that right!" Suddenly, an arrow whistled through the air and landed squarely on the side of Mokuren's head. Mokuren turned to his right and spotted Jesse with his bow out and Haru with his arms folded.

"Hope we didn't miss anything." Haru said.

"B-but…how? I destroyed the medallion."

"You destroyed the frame." Aster pointed at the ground, where a red jewel was glowing brightly. "But not the sphere. And I stalled you long enough for these two to get here." Jesse and Haru stood behind Aster.

"Damn you!" Mokuren yelled. Branches burst out of the floor and filled Mokuren's side of the room like a forest. "I've killed entire armies, woman even children in my life. So don't think I'll go easy on you."

"So you're the type of person who'd kill people for no reason? I've only got two words to say about that." Aster smiled. "See ya!" He yelled cheerfully. He raised an arm up in the air, and water rushed up in a large water spout on the ice circle supporting the friends, shooting them up in the air in a large pillar of water It stopped when the circle reached a certain level. "Here we are. Fifth floor." The four of them jumped off the circle, and the water spout fell back to ground level. "Run for it!" Aster yelled, just as a branch as thick as a tree trunk smashed through the floor. The four friends dashed through the corridor.

"Which room is it?" Haru yelled.

"Number fifty eight." Jesse answered. A thorn covered bush burst up underneath Jesse's feet, which he barely avoided. Suddenly, the ground began to crack.

"Keep moving!" Jaden shouted. Branches burst up in thick walls just inches behind them every single time, some of them would be decorated with sharp thorns.

"In here." Jesse said, opening the door and allowing everyone to bustle inside before he closed the door firmly behind him, just as Mokuren burst out through the ground. He glanced around him for his enemies, and seeing none cried out in rage.

"You wretches!" He yelled.

…

"Phew! That was close." Jaden sighed, slumping down on the floor with his back to the wall. Haru made a stone wall twenty millimetres thick rise up in front of the wall with the door, shifting Jaden forward across the floor.

"That should hold Mokuren off for a while." Haru said.

"Where's the light switch? It's so dark in here." Aster felt around for something to provide light.

"I wouldn't. Mokuren would know we were here if we turn the light on." Jaden shot a small fireball out from his gun, which floated in the air with beautiful amber light.

"Will this do?" Jaden asked. Jesse nodded.

"So that's Mokuren then. Scary." Aster muttered. "He sure is a lover of deaths."

"He really got me angry when he was enjoying you being electrocuted." Jaden said.

"Why is everyone always talking about that? It's something I really want to forget about, so stop bringing it up all the time."

"Sorry," Jaden apologised.

"Is this the room, Jesse?" Haru asked. Jesse nodded.

"It should be." He scanned the dark room lighten up by the faint fireball. Several of the beds and filing cabinets were overturned, and an occasional branch would stick out slightly in the wall, but there wasn't a single icicle to be seen, and the windows were all smashed. "Is anyone in here?" He asked quietly. He looked in the far left corner of the room, and saw something trembling wrapped up in a white hospital sheet. Jesse went towards it and kneeled down on the floor next to it. He placed a hand on the trembling bundle, and it flinched away from him.

"Leave me alone." It whispered, which sounded like a young girl. "I didn't do anything to you."

"It's okay. Nobody can get you here." The girl gasped.

"Jesse? Is that you?" The girl turned around to face Jesse. She had bright blue eyes which shone with fear and white hair tied up in two plaits.

"Selena?" Jesse whispered. Selena smiled happily.

"Jesse, it's you. Jesse!" She threw the sheet off herself and hugged Jesse around his neck. "It's felt like a lifetime since I last saw you." She pulled away from Jesse and looked at Haru, Jaden and Aster. "And you brought friends to rescue me."

"Nice to meet ya." Aster said, walking up to Selena.

"You're that pro duellist Aster Phoenix, right?" Selena asked. Aster nodded.

"Glad to hear you're okay."

"Is that Selena over there?" Jaden asked, standing up. He walked up to Aster and looked over his shoulder at Selena. "Wow, she's really pretty."

"Who're you?" Selena asked. She spotted Haru walk to where Jaden stood. "And who's that girl?" Haru groaned.

"I'm not even going to bother this time." Haru groaned.

"Poor you. You should at least get a haircut." Aster joked.

"What's going on?" Selena looked at Jesse's friends with confused glances. She turned to Jesse. Jesse had his eyes closed and tears fell down his smiling face. "Jesse? Did I miss something?" Jesse opened his eyes and looked up at Selena, still smiling. "Why are you crying?"

"I'll explain later, Selena." Jesse wiped his eyes dry with his arm. "But we need to get out of here as soon as we can. Mokuren might burst through that wall any minute."

"Wha…who's Mokuren?" Jesse helped Selena onto her feet. The sheet fell on the floor, revealing her in her light blue short sleeve blouse with small blue polka dots and blue pleated skirt.

"Good thing you're fully dressed. We're getting you outta here." Jesse said.

"Yeah, but how are we going to do that?" Jaden asked. We're trapped by a stone wall and loads of plants, and Mokuren's now down there." Jaden pointed out the window, and Mokuren walked out of the hospital building with his hands on his hips.

"We're trapped." Haru said.

"Not quite." Aster said. "I've got a plan."

"Really?" Jaden said happily. "What is it?"

"GERONIMO!" Aster yelled, jumping out of the window and landing on a thick nearby tree branch. He slid down the branch effortlessly and steered his way down the branch. When he reached the end of it, he jumped off and, with a neat forward flip, landed on the ground.

"That wasn't exactly what I had in mind." Jaden yelled.

"Fusspot." Aster muttered. "Haru, you get everyone down." Haru nodded and created a stone staircase to the ground. Aster spotted Mokuren jump metres in front of him. "I'll, er…I'll deal with Mokuren."

"You should know that it's pointless fighting me. Plants thrive on water." Mokuren made a nearby oak tree's branches charge toward s Aster.

"True." Aster muttered. Using water from his water skin, he shot a water spout at the branches and froze them in midair. "But they stop growing when frozen." Jesse and the others ran to Aster.

"Sorry to interrupt, but we need to get out of here. Now!" Jaden said.

"Right!" Aster said.

"Not so fast." A voice said. The clouds in the dark sky began to gether together and they became thicker and darker.

"It's her." Mokuren whispered, getting down on one knee.

"Is it Miranda?" Jesse wondered.

"Not quite." The clouds lowered and a woman was visible standing on them. "But Miss Miranda's personal second in command." The woman had light blue hair down to her waist and light blue eyes that had a cold glare. Her skin was slightly blue and she wore Greek style sandals on her feet with straps up to her knees. Her outfit was a blue dress that was split on both sides and the length was down to her knees.

"Who're you?" Aster asked. Haru gasped.

"I-it's you…" He whispered. The woman glanced down at Haru.

"Well, I can say that I've missed you as well." She smiled wickedly. "Little brother"

**DUN DUN DDDUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNNNNNNNNN!! Haru's long lost sister has been found, and she's Miranda second in command! What will happen next? Find out next time, only in Phoenix Fire…**


	3. Chapter 3: The Last Kishido

**Welcome to you all! For we now return to Phoenix Fire, where Haru has found his long lost sister, who is now bad to the bone! How will he react? Well, let's find out shall we?**

Chapter 3

The Last Kishido

"What did she call him?" Aster asked.

"Little brother?!" Jaden exclaimed. "So that means…he…she, they, his…hers…ARGH!" Jaden yelled, clutching his head. "This is too much."

"Calm down, Jaden" Jesse muttered, sweat dropping.

"I never thought I'd see you again." Haru said.

"Nor I, brother."

"Did Miranda force you to join as well?" Haru asked.

"Force me?" Nevara chuckled, until she burst out laughing. "You honestly think I was forced to join?! Ignorance is bliss I guess."

"Miss Nevara chose to join Miranda. She found Nevara, said "come with me" and she went straight away with no objections." Haru's eyes widened.

"Are you shocked?" Nevara asked. "Face it, Haru. The sweet big sister you knew doesn't exist anymore."

"Forget about your love for her. Love is just rubbish that gets in the way of everything." Mokuren grinned.

"Are you joking?" Aster yelled. "Love is what allowed me to rescue Daisy and my father."

"Aster…" Haru said quietly. "You don't have to help. Nevara means nothing to me." He lied.

"Oh, really?" Mokuren chuckled. "But Nevara always said how close you two were. But if she doesn't mean anything to you…" Nevara lowered herself onto the ground and let her cloud disappear. "Then take her life with your own hands." Haru's eyes widened. "HA HA HA HA! GO ON! DO IT!" Haru's hand trembled.

"You can't bluff us, boy. A traitor like you should know that." Mokuren said.

"Jesse, I'm confused." Selena said. Jesse held her closely to him.

"Don't worry about it." He muttered.

"Nevara had her eyes on you ever since you betrayed Miranda. And her desire is to kill you herself, just like she killed your parents." Haru gasped.

"She killed them?" Haru whispered. Nevara cackled.

"They deserved it for sending me away like that." Haru looked down at the ground with his fists clenched. "Of course, you and Sekio were heartbroken, and I can feel the frailty of your heart right now. You're remembering all out times together. I always said how dad would praise you…" Nevara smirked. "But I was lying"

"DAMN YOU!" Haru yelled, making a pole appear out of the ground. He charged at Mokuren and whacked him to the ground with his pole.

"So that's how it's going to go then. Very well." Nevara shot a stream of frost from her hand towards Haru. He spun his rod quickly in his hand, deflecting the attack back to Nevara, who received the direct hit and fell to the floor. When she sat up, Nevara saw the pole inches away from her face, with Haru standing directly in front of her. She smirked.

"Go ahead, Haru. Do it. Kill me. Kill your older sister Nevara." Haru glared angrily at Nevara, his hand holding the pole trembling. He looked into Nevara's eyes, and his expression became pained. Haru dropped his pole and fell onto his knees.

"I can't do it. You're a follower of Miranda and you're evil but…you're still my sister and I can never hurt you."

"Well that's perfect, because I CAN HURT YOU!" Nevara punched Haru across his face and onto the grass. Before he could sit up, she stood on his right arm to prevent him from standing up. Her right hand glowed blue. "Say hi to mom and dad for me."

"NO!" Aster yelled, shooting Nevara with a green energy field that became larger and encased her in a glowing green net. Aster ran to Haru and helped him onto his feet. "Let's get outta here! C'mon." Aster and his friends ran off into the shadows until they couldn't be seen. Nevara sliced the energy net away into smoke.

"Damn! They got away!" Nevara hissed.

"Do not worry, Nevara. For I have a feeling we'll see them again." Mokuren said, smiling.

…

"You can stay with us for the night, Selena." Jesse said.

"Thank you, Jesse." Selena whispered. "I thought I'd never see you again."

"Eh, don't worry about it. Just get some rest, okay?" Selena nodded, and walked into a room behind her, closing the door.

"It's good to be home after visiting that hospital." Jaden said, slumping into the sofa.

"It is, but I'm a little worried about Haru." Aster said, sitting down next to Jaden. "His sister killed his parents, and she's moms second in command. He must be feeling a mixture of emotions"

_Just like I did when I found out Kagehoshi was my mom._ Aster thought.

"I'm sure Haru will be fine." Jesse reassured. "He's not the type to give in to what he's really feeling." At that moment, Haru walked out of a room rubbing his eyes.

"You've been in there a while. Is everything-" Aster started.

"It's fine." Haru said quickly. "I'm going to bed." Haru entered another room closing the door behind him with a slam.

"But…isn't that Hassleberry's room?" Jaden asked.

…

"Hey, Haru. Bit early, isn't it?" Hassleberry asked, pointing at a clock that read three o'clock in the morning.

"Sorry. Wrong room." Haru made his way back to the door. Suddenly, Hassleberry grabbed Haru's ponytail and pulled Haru back towards him.

"Hold it!"

"Watch the hair!" Haru snapped.

"You're not the type of person who would walk into the wrong room. Something's wrong isn't there?" Haru grabbed Hassleberry's wrist and forced him to let go of his hair.

"That's not for your concern."

"It's my concern, alright. A sergeant is always there for his soldiers, and something is wrong with you. For one thing, your face is damp, and it's not from washing it." Hassleberry's face softened. "You've been crying…haven't you?" Haru glanced down at the floor.

"Alright. You caught me. Six years ago, my older sister was banished from the family because she wasn't a stone wielder like Sekio and I. But tonight, I saw her again. But she's a follower of Miranda and her second in command. What's worse, she doesn't hold back when fighting me. If Aster hadn't stepped in, she would've definitely killed me." Hassleberry stared at Haru in shock and surprise. Haru turned away from Hassleberry. "I always looked forward to the day I'd see my sister again. But…" Haru squeezed his brown eyes shut. "This isn't what I wanted. The Nevara I know isn't here anymore. She's gone, and I hate her replacement. I know I may have to kill her but…I just can't. I can never hurt my sister, when she has hurt me in more ways than one."

"Haru…" Hassleberry said quietly. "I wish I'd never asked now. But…I'm sure there's still good in her. Just like there is in you and Sekio."

"She killed my parents!" Haru yelled, spinning around to face Hassleberry. "Of course there's no good in her! It's long gone, I can tell."

"So…if it's been six years since you saw her, and she's…how old was she then?"

"Sixteen."

"Sixteen, so that means." Hassleberry counted on his fingers. "Whoa. She's, like, twenty two now."

"I know you want to help, Hassleberry, but there's nothing you can do for me. Thanks for trying." Haru walked out of the room, leaving Hassleberry alone in his bedroom.

_Haru…_ Hassleberry thought sadly.

Next Morning

"It's a glorious Saturday morning, and yet another pile of corpses has been discovered outside the local restaurant Pizza Hut."

"Another murder?!" Chloe exclaimed.

"Ew. Gross. They've been cut up into pieces." Melody said, her hand covering her mouth in disgust.

"I wonder who's causing all of these deaths." Syrus wondered.

"A witness spotted the same young girl running away from the scene, and they caught a glimpse of her face. The witness has brought in some photographs." The image flashed to show the front of Pizza Hut. Outside was a pile of dead bodies littered with blood and cut off limbs and heads. A girl with a red skirt, a pink cardigan and blue hair was spotted running away. The screen flashed again to a close up shot of the girl, whose hair hid her face from running. A third photo showed the girl looking around her for any witnesses whilst running, and she just so happened to be looking at the camera. Chloe, Melody and Syrus gasped.

"No way." Chloe muttered.

"I-It can't be." Melody whispered.

"Meno?" Syrus said.

"Hi." The three of them turned around, and Meno stood behind the sofa with a towel around her shoulders to prevent her wet hair dripping onto her cardigan. "Why are you looking at me like that?" Meno looked up at the television and gasped. The shot of Meno minimised back to the newswoman.

"This witness is believed to be a young girl named Meno, who went missing five years ago. Of course, experts can't be sure whether it's definitely her or not, but we'll be updated on the story more as it develops."

"No…" Meno whispered.

"Do you know something about those murders Meno?" Syrus asked.

"I…" Meno started. She spun around and ran to the hallway leading to the bookcase.

"Meno, wait up!" Syrus yelled, running after her. He reached the bookcase, and as soon as he walked through it, he saw Meno just disappear behind the corner.

_She does know something about it._ Syrus thought. He opened the front door of the flats, and saw Meno sitting on the stairs sobbing into her hands.

"Hey, Meno. I know you might have been threatened by the killer not to tell anyone, but you can tell me." Syrus said.

"It's not that Syrus." Meno whispered. Syrus blinked in surprise.

"Is it because you're freaked out by the deaths?" Syrus asked.

"No." Meno cried.

"Then what is it then?"

"It's because I killed them!" Meno screamed at Syrus.

"What?!" Syrus exclaimed.

"I killed them. I'm the murderer. I'm the girl believed to be an innocent witness. I didn't want this to happen again, Syrus. Believe me. But it's my nature. It's what I was born to do."

"To kill others for no reason?!" Syrus asked, getting frustrated. "There's no such thing."

"There was such a thing long ago." Meno said. "Before you were born in fact. Back then, if one of my kinds were born, they would kill us as soon as we were born. Some would escape though, and if they do, they would capture some and perform tests worse than torture or something much worse…"

"What would they do?" Syrus asked, curious.

"They would isolate us and kill us." Syrus gasped. "Years later, we became extinct. However, some people were still carriers of the DNA. And thirteen years ago, I was born as one of them."

"Look, I'm a little confused." Syrus said. "What exactly is this species you're talking about?"

"Long ago, we were unknown to humans. We lived normal lives like everyone else. Back then, we were known as Kishido's."

"Kishido's?" Syrus repeated. Meno nodded.

"We were born with abilities that surpassed any other human. We could create energy fields and other energy attacks or defences. We were peaceful beings then, and were no threat. But, centuries later, a Kishido had their personality split. One side was innocent and kind. The other…well, it was a sadistic side. This evil side got out of control and began butchering every human being that got in their way. She was eventually killed, and experts decided we were a deadly race, and any baby born as a Kishido was to be exterminated immediately, and label their deaths as sudden infancy deaths. Any other Kishido's past the baby stage were either taken to a research laboratory or killed immediately. Since that incident, all Kishido's are born with two sides."

"And you're one of them?" Meno nodded.

"I'm sorry, Syrus. I didn't want to kill those people, but it's what I was born to do. It's strange really…sometimes there are more Kishido children born than there are human children. But I never wanted this power. Miranda took me in to help control my sadistic side. But now, I'm losing control of myself, and if I lose full control then…" Meno squeezed her eyes shut.

"Then what?" Syrus asked.

"I'll have to kill you." Meno whispered. Syrus' eyes widened.

"I…I don't believe it. How can a nice girl like you be able to kill people and survive when you were born?"

"The Kishido's were forgotten about after being extinct for many years. They couldn't have noticed."

"How did your parents react when they found out you were one of those Kishido's?"

"It was too late for them to find out because…every Kishido's first victims are…their own parents." Syrus gasped. "When a Kishido reaches three, their powers develop and burst out at their parents. That's why almost every Kishido is an orphan like me. When something in their life triggers a mixture of emotions, that's when their sadistic side is shown and they have almost complete control over their abilities." Silence followed.

"Well…er…that explained a lot." Syrus said. "What was your past like though?"

"I never thought about it much, so I can't remember. But please, Syrus. Don't tell anyone what I just told you."

"I promise, Meno." Meno smiled.

"Thank you, Syrus. You really are a good friend." Meno brushed past Syrus into the flats again, using her towel to dry her hair before placing it back around her shoulders. Syrus followed.

"So, Syrus. What's this duel monsters game you and your friends play? It sounds interesting." Meno asked as they disappeared round the corner. From the shadows of the front door, Aster creeped out of them and closed the door quietly.

_I know it was rude to eavesdrop, but I just don't believe it. Meno certainly doesn't look like a killer._ Aster thought._ I'll have to ask her._

…

"There are stars on the cards? Are they pretty?" Meno asked.

"Well you can call them pretty, but they also have a meaning." Jaden explained, lounging on the bed as Meno and Syrus stood in his room. "Ya see, if the monster is four stars or lower, it doesn't need a sacrifice. But if it has five or six stars, one sacrifice is required to summon it."

"So does that mean that to summon a level seven or eight monster I have to sacrifice two monsters?" Meno asked.

"You're catching on." Jaden said, smiling. The door suddenly clicked open, and Aster stood in the room.

"Hi, Aster. We're just explaining to Meno how to play duel monsters." Jaden said cheerfully.

"I need to speak to her." Aster said.

"Why?" Meno asked. Aster looked her in her brown eyes.

"I know." Meno gasped.

"You overheard, didn't you?" Aster nodded.

"Every word." Meno looked down at the floor.

"You probably hate me now, don't you? I'm sorry, Aster. I-"

"You don't have to feel ashamed, Meno. I know you're scared, but I want to help in any way I can."

"You do?"

"You betcha. That's what friends are for, right?" Meno hugged Aster around his waist, surprising him.

"Thank you so much. You don't know how much this means to me."

"Hey, hey. Take it easy, Meno." Aster said, half laughing.

"Uh, Aster? Question." Jaden said, sitting up. "How can you help Meno when she can't remember her past?"

"She only can't remember because she didn't think about it. Or maybe because she didn't want to think about it." He pulled Meno away from his waist. "I can read minds, so this shouldn't be too tricky." Aster placed his left hand on the side of Meno's face. "Close your eyes." He said to Meno. Meno blinked in surprise, but she obeyed and closed her eyes.

"Right then." Aster's left hand glowed white.

"Hey, what're you…" Syrus started.

"Relax. I know what I'm doing." Aster reassured. "Now shut up for a minute, okay?" He turned back to Meno. "Do you have anything yet?"

"No, not yet." Meno answered. "Wait. I hear something. There's this voice. Lots of them." As she spoke, the voices rang through her head in a large echo.

_This world was made for humans._

_Make room for other Kishido's._

_You're so not human._

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Jaden wondered thoughtfully. "Because usually when people hear voices, they go mad."

"It's a good sign, Jay." Aster answered. "Meno's remembering everything now."

_If you kill them all now, you won't be sad ever again._

_You can tell me anything._

_They always search for people who are worse off than they are._

"SHUT UP!" Meno screamed, clamping her hands over her ears. She stumbled backwards and when she reached the bed, she fell over and landed next to Syrus.

"You okay Meno?" Syrus asked.

"I'm fine." She answered, sitting up and rubbing her head. She glanced over to Syrus. She gasped. Syrus' concerned face suddenly grew younger and his hair became darker. His eyes went from grey to a dark green, and this boy was crying. His grey t-shirt was stained with blood and a body without a head lay behind him.

"_STOP IT! PLEASE STOP IT! NO MORE! JUST STOP!"_ The boy screamed. Meno slid away from Syrus, horrified by what she saw.

"Is something wrong?" Syrus asked.

"Do you…have a brother?" Meno asked.

"Yeah. His name's Zane. He's in the pro league right now but-"

"Please tell him something for me." Meno asked desperately. "Tell him that I'm sorry."

"About what?"

"He'll know."

"Does that mean you remember now?" Aster asked. Meno nodded. "Woo Hoo! It worked!" Aster cheered.

"You mean you were just experimenting?!" Jaden exclaimed.

"Heheh" Aster laughed nervously. "Come on, I'm still learning. I've only just mastered water. Gimme a break."

"But it worked." Meno said. The three boys turned to Meno. "I remember everything now. My childhood. How I got my powers. I know it all."

_I remember…_ Meno thought.

**Whoa! What a way to end it! Next time, we look into Meno's past and how she found out about her Kishido heritage. And what about that incident with Syrus' older brother Zane? Well stay tuned, and you'll find out.**


	4. Chapter 4: Meno's Past

**Alright, folks, let me tell you summat about this next chapter. It's going to be about Meno's past, y'know because she's just remembered it and all, so you might not see the other characters in it until near the end of the chapter. Anyways, enjoy!**

Chapter 4

Meno's Past

Five years ago. Domino Orphanage

"There you go, Meno. Now get some rest, okay?" A woman said, placing a wet flannel over an eight year old Meno, whose face was slightly red from a fever.

"Hey, Mary." Meno whispered. "Why do I get sick more than everyone else?"

"You're asking the wrong person there. I'm a care worker, I'm afraid." Mary stood up. "Goodnight, Meno." Mary closed the door behind her, leaving it open a small crack.

"What is it this time?" A voice of another woman said.

"Meno has a fever."

"Again?"

"To be honest, Sue, I don't know what's up with that girl. Her health record shows she's completely vaccinated from diseases, but it's not natural to have a fever so often." Meno listened to the conversation in her dark bedroom. "It's almost as if she isn't human."

"Come on, Mary. That's ridiculous." Sue laughed.

"You're right."

"Are you going to bed now?"

"Not yet. I've got some paperwork to finish."

"Well I'm going to bed. Night, Mary."

"Sweet dreams." Mary and Sue's footsteps faded away until they couldn't be heard. Meno sat up in her bed, removing her flannel.

"Not human." She repeated. "What could they mean?" She moved a strand of her blue hair behind her ear. "I can't sleep. And my nightlight doesn't work. If I had some light then I could read." Suddenly, Meno's right hand felt warm. She lifted it up and it was glowing pink. The pink glowing formed a sphere that floated out of her palm in a small energy field and hovered in front of her face. Meno looked at it in surprise. She suddenly felt a lot better. Meno felt her forehead.

"My fever's gone." Meno looked back at the energy field. "Maybe this is why I've been sick." She smiled. "You just wanted to come out didn't you?" The energy field twitched slightly as if to say yes. Meno reached out to touch it. The spot where Meno touched the energy field pulsed slightly, and the ball flew around her head.

"It's so pretty." The energy field returned in front of her face. She yawned. "I feel sleepy now. How do I put this thing out?" The top of the ball glowed red. "You want me to touch it?" She placed a hand over the top of the energy field, and it disappeared in a puff of pink smoke, surprising her. "Goodnight, little pink ball." Meno climbed into her bed and fell asleep immediately. Outside the crack in her door, a young boy with blonde hair stared at Meno with wide eyes.

_What the hell was that?_ He wondered. Suddenly, he grinned wickedly._ Well well, Meno. You're little secret is revealed. Nobody hides from Elliott._

…

"Oh no. My bag!" Meno cried, picking up her brown satchel from her hook in the cloakroom. It was soaked in milk and smelt like rotten cream. Meno heard laughter from the doorway. She turned and spotted Elliott standing there with a wicked smirk, with two of his friends, one with brown hair and another with black hair decorated with a back to front orange and black baseball cap, standing by his side. Elliott wore an orange hoodie and blue denim jeans with green low ankle Converse's. Baseball cap boy wore a black t-shirt with a miniature white Nike tick over his heart and grey trousers. The final boy had a purple hooded t-shirt and grey shorts.

"Looks like your schoolbag is ruined." Elliott sneered.

"Why did you do this?" Meno asked. "I never did anything to you."

"Yes, but Elliott saw you with your little pink floating ball." The brown haired boy said. Meno gasped. The three boys surrounded Meno, who clutched her soaked satchel tightly. Elliott gave her a shove, whilst the boy with the baseball cap stuck his foot out for her to trip over onto the floor.

"This world was made for humans." Elliott spat. "Nice work, TJ." He said to the boy with the baseball cap.

"Stop it." The three bullies turned around and a girl with brown hair in low bunches, a dark orange tunic dress with a dark blue top underneath, brown shoes and brown eyes stood by the door. "Mary. Elliott, TJ and Alex are bullying people again." She yelled down the corridor.

"Shoot. Let's get outta here." Elliott said, running out the room.

"Damn you, Sophie." Alex yelled, running after Elliott with TJ. Sophie went to Meno and helped her to her feet. "Are you okay? Oh no, your bag's ruined."

"They're all the same." Meno muttered.

"What do you mean?"

"Those boys are miserable. Their lives are depressing. To get rid of their rage and sadness, they always search for people who are worse off than they are." Sophie smiled.

"Don't worry about it. They teased me as well when I had glasses once." Meno looked up at Sophie in surprise. "C'mon, I'll clean this up for you." Sophie went to a large metal sink and scrubbed at the bag with a sponge and the tap running. Meno watched Sophie scrub her bag, squeeze white water out of it and scrub again.

"They poured milk on my bag as well. I've done this before." Sophie said. "Sorry for being nosey, but why were they teasing you?" Meno looked down, embarrassed.

"Will you keep it a secret?" Meno whispered. Sophie nodded.

"Of course I will. You can tell me anything."

"Okay." Meno brought up her right hand. "Come out…little pink ball." Her right hand glowed pink, and a force field floated out and hovered in the air. Sophie stared at it, amazed.

"Wow. That's so cool." Sophie beamed.

"Huh? You don't think I'm a freak?"

"Of course not, silly. It's amazing." Sophie rubbed Meno's bag with a towel and handed it back to her. "Here you go. It may smell a little bit, but it's the best I can do."

"Thanks Sophie."

"You should show the other girls here. It'll be great for you to make new friends." Sophie's face brightened. "Hey! We should make a girl's only club in Mike's old shed! It's empty now, so it'll be alright. What do you think?"

"Uh…" Meno started. She eventually nodded.

"Great! I'll get everyone together." Sophie ran off through the doorway. Several seconds later, she ran back and poked her head around the doorframe. "I never got your name. What is it?" Meno smiled.

"Meno…" She answered. "My name's Meno."

…

Twenty minutes later, a variety of around seven girls, not including Meno and Sophie, sat on a pink blanket laid out on the wooden floor of the dusty garden shed, chatting to each other. Sophie stood in front of the crowd and cleared her throat to get everyone's attention.

"Hi, everyone. I'm glad you all showed up here, because it's about time we had our own meeting place where Elliott can't find us. First off, there's a girl I want you to meet, who has a special magic trick to show us. Now she's very shy so please be patient." Sophie turned to Meno. "Go on, Meno." She whispered. Meno swallowed nervously and walked to where Sophie stood, who backed up against a wall to let Meno speak. Meno looked at the girls, who all looked at her with bright eyes and waited for her to speak.

"Er…um…" Meno started, fiddling with a strand of her short blue hair and clutching her red pleated skirt. She turned to Sophie, who gave her a thumbs up.

"Introduce yourself." Sophie whispered. Meno turned back to the crowd.

"Uh…hi…I'm Meno." She said shyly.

"Hi, Meno." All the girls chorused at the same time.

"I, er…I don't have any friends at school or here. My favourite colour is pink. I'm really introverted and I'm…I'm eight years old" A girl of five raised her hand in the air.

"Excuse me. Do you have any friends out of this city?" She asked. Meno shook her head.

"That's a shame. You're really pretty. You should have tonnes of them." Another girl said.

"Show us your magic trick." A third girl said. "Is it a card trick? Or the one with the tonnes of scarves?" Meno outstretched her right arm and the pink energy field appeared once again.

"Oooooo!" The girls chorused.

"It's pretty." One girl whispered.

"I was teased by Elliott because of this. I only found out about it last night. Don't tell anyone, okay?"

"We promise." All the girls said at the same time.

"Oh, I'm so jealous of you, Meno. I wish I could create a pretty pink light."

"I bet Elliott's jealous as well."

"You don't have any friends? We'll be your friends." Meno looked at the girls in amazement.

_They want to be my friends?_ Sophie placed a hand on Meno's shoulder.

"You've got nothing to be ashamed of. We'll be your friends." Meno looked down at the floor and sniffed. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. I'm just so happy. I've never had friends before. Thank you, Sophie." Suddenly, a banging was heard on the door.

"Open up, girlies."

"Oh no. That's Elliott." One girl screamed.

"They found us." Sophie said. Elliott kicked the door open. Behind him were TJ and Alex and other boys.

"Take your pick, fellas. The freak's mine." The boys rushed in and grabbed a struggling girl each, dragging them out of the shed.

"Meno!" Sophie screamed, being dragged outside by one of the boys.

"Stop it!" Meno screamed, running outside, and spotting the girls being pushed and shoved by the boys. One of them hooked their arms around Meno's, stopping her from running to her new friends. Elliott laughed and looked at Meno with a sneer.

"I've never seen you this upset before. You've never cried or laughed." The boy grappling Meno said.

"C'mon. Cry." Elliott taunted, looking into Meno's eyes, expecting them to fill up with tears. "Let's see you get upset, or we'll hurt them more. OURGH!" Elliott clutched his stomach after Meno kicked it hard with her black shoes. The other boys stopped shoving the girls and moved away from them to watch what was going on with Elliott and Meno. "Alright, that does it. Alex!" Alex looked up. "Bring Sophie over here." Alex gripped Sophie's arm tightly and dragged her to Meno.

"Let me go!" Sophie demanded.

"If you won't cry, then let's see what happens when we hurt your friend. TJ. Hit her." Meno, Sophie and the other girls, who had gathered round to watch, gasped. TJ nodded. He punched Sophie hard across her face.

"Ah!" Sophie gasped.

"Good. Keep it up." Elliott hissed. TJ began violently beating Sophie, who cried out in pain. The younger girls huddled closely to the older girls for comfort. Meno watched Sophie get beaten up, her brown eyes shining.

_But…why?_ Meno thought.

_They always search for people who are worse off than they are._

_I never did anything wrong. Why am I bullied because I can make pink light?_ Sophie fell to the grass, her face covered with several blood droplets and a black eye.

"Aw, man. What a letdown." TJ moaned.

"Heheh. That was quick." Elliott laughed. He turned to Meno, who hung her head down to the ground, and frowned. "You're still not crying? But that's what I should expect form a freak like you. You're so not human."

_No more!_

"OW!" The boy grappling Meno yelped, stepping away from her.

"What the hell's wrong with you?" Alex asked.

"She feels…hot."

"You know who isn't human?" Meno muttered, looking down at the floor. "You know who isn't human, Elliott?" Meno repeated angrily, clenching her fists. She looked up suddenly "PEOPLE LIKE YOU!!" She screamed, a pink aura surrounding her like fire.

"What the hell?" Elliott yelled, before he was engulfed in pink light. The boys ran away from Meno, but pink hands shot out and dragged them back in the pink fire.

"What's wrong with Meno?" Sophie whispered, looking up weakly as all the boys were dragged in by pink hands. What happened next was so fast; it was almost like a dream. As soon as the boys came in contact with the pink fire, blood flew everywhere and arms, legs, heads and all sorts flew around the garden. The pink aura faded away eventually, with Meno standing in the centre with her hands covering her face. The once clean garden was now stained red with blood and littered with cut up limbs, heads and bodies. The girls, covered with drops of the blood, were trembling fiercely. Meno looked up slowly.

"What happened?" Meno whispered. She gasped as she saw the blood and body parts of all the boys surrounding her. A head rolled across the grass towards Meno, and when it stopped, it was the head of Elliott, whose expression was both of pain and surprise. Meno stepped backwards in horror.

"I…I killed them." Meno whispered, trembling. She glanced over to the trembling girls and Sophie, who stood up with a hand over her black eye. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Meno whispered. She spun around and ran off out of the garden.

"Okay children. Lunch is ready." Mary yelled, walking into the garden. She gasped as she saw the mess. "What happened here?" She choked.

"The boys were teasing us, and then Me-" One girl started.

"A guy in black and a mask ran in and cut all the boys up into pieces." Sophie lied.

"What?!" Mary gasped. "Where's Meno now?"

"She was so frightened, she ran off." Sophie said. "Right everyone?" She turned to the other girls, with a look that prompted them all to nod.

"Stay right here, girls. I'll call the police." Mary rushed inside the large house again.

"Why did you just lie, Sophie?" A girl asked.

"I know Meno didn't mean to kill Elliott. It would be awful for her if she was a killer at eight."

"But what if more people die? What then?" An older girl asked.

"We'll defend her." Sophie answered. "Because that's what friends do."

…

"Today, at approximately twelve o'clock in the afternoon, a killer, believed to be dressed all in black and wearing a mask, brutally murdered all the boys at Domino Orphanage. At the same time, eight year old Meno went missing during the murder. The reason for the murder is unknown, and the person who would cause this bloody crime is still at large." Meno sighed as she stared at the televisions in an electronics store showing the news.

"They don't know where I am." Meno whispered. She walked off down the street, clutching her pink cardigan to keep herself warm. Strangers bustled past her to rush back home for tea. They shoved Meno this way and that without even muttering an apology.

"Watch where you're going." A man snapped.

"Sorry" Meno whispered.

_Everybody…Elliott…even these strangers. They're all the same._ Meno thought.

"_Then kill them."_ Meno gasped and stopped walking.

"Who said that?" She whispered. The street around her disappeared into blackness and an eerie purple light glowed in the darkness. Meno looked around her, afraid. Suddenly, she spotted a figure in front of her. Her body, except for her head, glowed white, and her face was covered with bandages, apart from one brown eye.

"_I did."_ The figure said, its voice similar to a young girl, but with a strange echo.

"Who are you?" Meno asked.

"_That's a good question. I'm a lot of things. I'm temptation. I'm desire. I'm a voice. Nobody knows. I am the conscious inside everybody. But everybody calls me Voice."_

"What do you want with me?"

"_Come now. I'm only here to help you. You've had a harsh day, haven't you? Those boys deserved what happened to them. You did the right thing."_

"By killing them?" Voice nodded.

"_If you kill them all now, you'll never be sad again. You can create the perfect world. You're special, Meno. You're a Kishido. The ability to make energy is unique. People think you're a threat to humankind. Show them they're right by killing them. Kill all humans, and make room for other Kishido's"_

"I don't want to!" Meno screamed. "OW!" Meno returned to the real world as soon as somebody ran into her. She fell down onto the pavement face first.

"Oh my god. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Meno answered, sitting up. She spotted blood on her right knee, with grains of dirt surrounding it.

"I'm sorry. Let me help you up." A hand reached out towards Meno. She looked up, and a boy of thirteen with turquoise hair and sea green eyes, wearing a grey t-shirt and blue trousers looked down at her. Meno took his hand and was pulled back onto her feet. "Oh, you're hurt." The boy said, pointing at her grazed knee.

"It's not that bad." To Meno's surprise, pink stars shined around the graze and made it disappear into clean flesh.

"Hey, was that pink light? Did you do that?" The boy asked. Meno looked down, getting frustrated.

_I'm getting sick of this._ She thought.

"That's so cool!" The boy exclaimed. "You're so awesome. I wish I could do that." Meno turned around and began to walk away. "Where are you going?"

"You have no idea how much trouble this light has given me." Meno said coldly.

"Oh, well sorry I knocked you over." The boy yelled after Meno. "My name's Zane. Zane Truesdale. I'll be right here tomorrow waiting for you, and we'll have tonnes of fun together."

_Yeah, right._ Meno thought.

…

The next day, Meno sat on the steps of the electronics store whilst it poured down with rain outside. The frame above the step Meno sat on dripped with water and landed on her shoes, but she ignored it.

_I'll be right here tomorrow waiting for you, and we'll have tonnes of fun together._

_He's not here. I knew he wouldn't show up._ Suddenly, a blue coat landed on her knees. She looked up, and Zane stood in front of her with a black umbrella above his head and a smile on his face.

"You'd better put that coat on. You don't want to catch a cold, do you?" Meno stood up with the coat wrapped around her, and the two of them walked down the street together under the shelter of the umbrella. "How long have you been waiting for me? Won't your parents get worried?"

"I don't have any." Meno answered. "My entire family is dead."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Zane apologised. "I'm staying here with my Dad and little brother for the summer. My cousin lives here, and they're a little like you. My cousin is an orphan as well, but my parents can't afford to look after another kid, so we come here to visit."

"Why are you being nice to me?" Meno suddenly asked. Zane stared at her.

"What do you mean?"

"I've never had friends before, and I've always been bullied. Are you going to tease me too?" Zane laughed.

"Of course not! I'd never bully anybody, especially a pretty girl like you." Meno blushed. "Why are you red? Are you cold?"

"Oh, it's nothing. Where are we going?"

"My place." Zane answered.

…

"Dad, I'm home." Zane yelled, opening the door to his house and hanging the umbrella up on a hat stand.

"Did you bring that friend you saw yesterday?" A voice asked.

"Yup." Zane turned around, and Meno stood outside in the cold rain, clutching the coat. "You can come in you know. Oh yeah, and don't forget to wipe your feet." Meno stood in the house, wiped her feet and hung up the coat on the hat stand. A man in a green t-shirt, blue jeans and a brown mop of hair walked into the hall.

"So this is your friend then? Is she your girlfriend?" The man teased.

"Dad." Zane whined. "She's just a friend."

"Who just so happens to be a girl. Hi there, friend of Zane's. I'm his father, but you can call me Rob."

"Uh…hi, Rob." Meno said shyly.

"You're here just in time, Zane. I've just got a call from your mother. We need to leave tonight." Zane's eyes widened.

"Tonight?" Zane repeated. "But why?"

"She's found out the correct time of when you're going back to school. Turns out it's the day after tomorrow."

"Oh…" Zane said quietly.

"You can spend the day with your friend today."

"Thanks, Dad." Zane turned back to Meno. "So, er…you ever heard of Duel Monsters?"

…

"Wow, you beat me." Zane exclaimed. The two of them were in the living room, with a duelling mat laid out on the floor and various cards in front of them.

"It's my first time." Meno said. "I've never done this before, but I only won because you lent me this Cyber End Dragon."

"I've won plenty of matches without that thing. But if I ever bring out Chimeratech Overdragon, watch out!" Meno giggled. "You're so pretty when you laugh." Zane muttered, blushing slightly.

"You do know I'm five years younger than you, right?"

"Ah well. You're kinda like my little brother. He's a couple of years older than you, but he can be a pest."

"I'm sure he's not that bad. Once you get to know him a little better."

"So, er…sorry if I'm butting in but…how did you get that pink light?" Zane asked.

"I'm not sure. I only discovered it a few days ago."

"_Stop yammering, Meno. Kill him now."_ Meno gasped as the living room changed to the purple darkness.

"Voice. But I don't want to kill him. He's the nicest person I've ever met." Voice appeared in front of Meno with its bandaged face.

"_But he'll just be like everyone else. Kill him now, and you won't have to face the sadness. Do it."_ Voice gasped as Meno grabbed its throat.

"I'm not going to do it." Meno hissed fiercely. In the real world, Meno had leaned across and grabbed Zane's neck.

"I…I can't breathe…" Zane choked. Meno gasped as she returned to the real world.

"Oh I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I just haven't been myself recently." Meno apologised, letting go of Zane's neck.

"You scared me for a minute." Zane said, rubbing his neck. Rob looked around the doorframe.

"Uh, Zane. It's time you said goodbye to your friend. Remember I promised you, your brother and your cousin that I'd take you to the fair tonight?"

"Okay, Dad." Zane turned back to Meno. "Guess this is goodbye then."

"Not goodbye. You'll come back again, and I'll be right here waiting for you." Zane nodded with a smile. "Hey Zane. Your cousin…is it a boy or girl?" Zane's eyes widened. Meno's eyes shone as she stared at Zane, waiting for an answer.

"Er…a boy. My cousin's a boy." Zane lied.

"Okay." Meno said cheerfully. "You're going home by train right?" Zane nodded. "I'll be right there to see you off, okay?"

"Er…okay."

"Bye." Meno said, standing up and walking out of the front door.

_Why did she ask me about my cousin?_ Zane wondered.

…

Several hours later, Meno wandered around a bright fairground through crowds of people, clutching sticks of candy floss and balloons.

"Okay, Zane said it was this one." Meno muttered. "But where is he?"

"Ha ha. Thank you, Zane!" A girl's voice squeaked.

"Hey, no problem." Meno looked around for the source of the voice, and spotted Zane smiling at a girl with brown hair in low bunches and an orange tunic dress with a blue top underneath clutching a pink cuddly bunny, laughing.

_Sophie…_ Meno thought. _You're Zane's cousin? _Meno gasped as a man ran into her and knocked her into the ground.

"_Told you so."_ Voice taunted. Meno sat up and looked around her. She was back in the purple darkness. _"I told you Zane would just hurt you."_

"Leave me alone." Meno whispered. Blood dripped in front of her. She looked up and gasped. It was Elliott standing in front of her with his hands on his hips and his head cut off.

"You're so not human." Elliott's voice taunted, leaning forward towards Meno, who scrambled away from him.

"Go away." Meno pleaded.

In the real world, Meno still lay on the ground face down, whilst people walked around her.

"Hey, what're you doing on the floor, brat? Get up, already." A man demanded.

"Go away!" Meno screamed into the darkness. There were a multiple number of boys standing in front of her, all without their heads.

"This world was made for humans." They all said at the same time.

"Stop it!" Meno screamed. She buried her face into her hands and began to cry. "You're scaring me. I'm scared. Go away, please. Just go away." Voice walked up to Meno's trembling body, kneeled down next to her, and patted her back in a comforting gesture. "Leave me alone, Voice."

"_I'm only here to help you, like I said. You've seen how badly shaped this world is. You can reshape it."_ Meno looked up at Voice.

"I can?" Voice nodded. The bandages began to fall off from its face.

"_I know you can do it."_ Voice said as the bandages fell. Meno gasped. The face of Voice was Meno's. _"Because I am you. I know you can reform this world into a better place with no misery." _Voice extended a hand towards Meno._ "Will you do it?"_

In the real world, Meno stood up from the ground with her hair hiding her eyes. Before, a crowd had gathered around her.

"Oh, thank god she's okay. Are you okay?" A woman asked. Meno said nothing.

In the darkness, Meno looked at Voice's hand.

"I'm sorry Zane. I really liked you. I really did." Meno whispered. She reached across and held Voice's hand.

"_Good girl."_ Voice said with a smile. The darkness began to glow white as Meno left to go back to the real world.

When she came back, she looked up with a blank look in her brown eyes.

"You okay kid?" An overweight man asked. Meno said nothing. Suddenly, she made a pink arm appear behind her back, and she effortlessly sliced through the crowd with it, cutting off their upper bodies and making blood fly everywhere. Some of the blood splattered onto Meno's face, but she stared straight ahead of her with her blank eyes.

"What happened?"

"Was it a bomb?"

"Run!" Everybody began to run away from where Meno had attacked; unaware that she had made the attack. Meno walked forwards slowly, ignoring the screaming crowd.

"I'll reshape this world." Meno muttered. "I'll kill anyone who gets in my way."

…

"Thanks for winning me the bunny, Zane." Sophie said as she stood outside the train station, saying goodbye to Zane.

"I'll be back for the Christmas, Sophie. Don't worry." Zane glanced around him.

_Where is she?_ Zane wondered. _Guess she isn't showing up._

"Come on Zane. We're going to miss the train." Rob shouted.

"Coming Dad!" Zane yelled back. He gave a final wave to Sophie and ran onto the platform. He stopped to have another look around for Meno.

"Come on!" Rob shouted impatiently. Zane shrugged and ran onto the train. Sophie waved at the train before running off down the street towards a minivan with the Domino Orphanage writing on the side. Meno creeped out of the shadows of the station. Quick as lightning, she ran onto the train just as the doors were closing.

_You're gonna pay, Zane._ Meno thought. _Big time._

…

"Are you a spell card?" Zane asked a younger Syrus whilst the three of them were on the train.

"Yes."

"Do you destroy cards?"

"Yes"

"Are you Dark Hole?"

"Yes." Syrus sighed.

"You really need to think of better cards for twenty questions."

"I'm sorry, big brother. I'm not as good as you."

"Alright boys, settle down." Rob said, sensing another argument brewing. Zane stood up and went to a window on the other side of the carriage, fiddling with the latch.

"What're you doing Zane?" Syrus asked.

"It's hot in here. I'm trying to open the window. Stupid thing. Come on. Open already." Zane fiddled with the latch. The door to the carriage suddenly opened, and Meno stepped inside with her hair hiding her eyes. Zane turned to the door, and smiled after seeing Meno.

"Oh hi. I didn't see you at the station. Why are you on the train?" Zane asked, moving away from the window.

"You're a liar." Meno said coldly.

"Huh? What're you…oh, right. My cousin."

"Who's that, big brother?" Syrus asked, standing up and walking up to him. "Is that your friend?" Syrus looked behind Meno because of his short height and gasped.

"What's wrong?" Zane asked. He looked into the other carriage, and was horrified. The entire second carriage was covered with cut up corpses and blood, with their faces filled with surprise, pain or shock.

"AAAAHHHHHHHH!!" Syrus screamed, running off down the carriage past Rob and crouched underneath a table with his eyes shut tightly and his hands over his ears.

"Gah!" Zane gasped, stepping backwards away from Meno. "Did you…did you do this?"

"What's wrong, Zane?" Rob asked, walking towards Zane. "Is everything oka-" Suddenly, Meno shot a pink blade from her hand and sliced Rob's head off. Blood spurted out from his neck, and Zane stared at his headless father in horror, whose blood stained his t-shirt in great splats. Eventually, after some staggering, Rob's body landed on the ground, with his head rolling to Zane's feet. Zane stared at the head, trembling all over. Syrus crawled out from the table, and gasped at what he saw.

"Why did you do this?" Zane asked, turning back round to Meno. "I thought we were friends."

"We are. That's why I didn't kill you." Meno looked over to Syrus. "Now I'll kill that squirt over there." Meno walked past Zane slowly and went towards Syrus.

"Stay away from me." Syrus whimpered, as Meno began to get closer and closer to him, her right hand glowing pink.

"NO!" Zane screamed, grabbing Meno by her waist and forcing her to the ground.

"STOP IT! PLEASE STOP IT NO MORE! JUST STOP IT!" Zane screamed at Meno, banging her on the floor with tears falling down his face.

"Zane, stop it." Syrus yelled. "You're hurting her."

"STOP IT! DON'T DO IT ANYMORE! STOP IT! PLEASE!" The train zoomed by with Zane's screams heard in muffles.

…

"So you remember now?" Aster asked. Meno nodded.

"Now I wish I never had. I'm going to have nightmares now."

"It's alright, Meno." Syrus said.

"But I did something awful to your brother. You were there."

"What?" Syrus gasped.

"Alright, I'm getting confused now." Jaden said.

CRASH!

"What the hell was that?" Hassleberry yelled from another room.

"It came from the flats. C'mon." Aster ran out of the room, with Meno, Syrus and Jaden following. Everybody else ran out of their rooms to see what was going on. Aster was the first to reach the bookcase and shoved it open. When he entered the living room, it was filled with dust and plaster was torn away from the walls of the hallway. A shadow began to walk through the front door.

"What's going on?" Jesse asked, as he and everyone else ran out of the bookcase.

"Someone's here." Aster answered. When the shadow turned the corner, Magdala walked into the living room, wearing a yellow short sleeved frilled blouse with a blue ribbon tied underneath the collar, a green short skirt inches from her knees, brown shoes and her long white hair hung loose down to her waist. She stopped walking when she was inches away from the crowd.

"Big brother," She said coldly. "I've found you."

**Phew! That chapter was fifteen pages! Wow, that's the longest chapter I've ever written! Well, er, stay tuned for the fight with Magdala.**


	5. Chapter 5: Bad Hair Day

**The wait is over people! You've found out about Meno's tragic and bitter past, and now, Magdala has shown up! What will happen? Only one way to find out!**

Chapter 5

Bad Hair Day

"Who's that?" Syrus wondered out loud, staring at Magdala.

"Magdala," Aster answered. Magdala looked over at Aster and smiled.

"The boy in the mirror. And my big brother."

"Huh?" Aster said, raising an eyebrow.

"I didn't know you had a sister." Jaden said.

"You idiot!" Daisy snapped, slapping Jaden behind his head. "Aster's an only child! Even you should know that!"

"Yeah, but…" Jaden started, rubbing the back of his head from the whack.

"Why's she calling Aster big brother?" Jesse finished.

"I think I can explain." James said.

"So…why's she callin' him big brother?" Hassleberry asked.

"Back at the castle, one of Miranda's guards took some of my blood and some of her own and combined it in an advanced cloning lab. Over time, this was the creation." James indicated Magdala, who had a playful smirk on her face.

"You mean…she's…she's my sister?!" Aster exclaimed. James nodded.

"Technically, yes."

"Oh no, not another one!" Aster yelled, clutching his head. Magdala walked up to Aster and looked into his eyes.

"Momma said to me that big brother had silver hair and blue eyes. You match her description exactly." She smirked wickedly. "And she told me to find you…and end you."

"Can't do it herself, eh?" Aster said. "I guess I accept your challenge."

"Are you sure Aster?" Haru asked.

"I'm the one she wants. This'll be over quickly. Girls, stay here."

"I'm not staying here." Daisy said. "I'm going with you guys."

"But Daisy…" Meno started.

"No point in arguing. She's more stubborn than Aster." Syrus said.

"I heard that!" Aster snapped. "Okay, kid. Let's take this outside."

…

In a forest on the edge of domino, Aster stood facing Magdala, who was several metres away from him.

"I hope Aster isn't underestimating her." Daisy said. "He saw what she could do."

"Really?" Jesse said.

"Yeah. We saw her whilst trapped in that mirror. And she is one deadly girl."

"Now just to let you know, I won't go easy on you just because you're seven." Aster warned. Magdala giggled.

"You seem confident, big brother." She said happily.

"Yeah, and another thing. Don't call me big brother all the time. My name's Aster." Magdala's hair began to move around her head as if an invisible breeze was blowing.

"Finally. Someone decent to kill. Everybody else didn't even try to fight back."

"What the…her hair!" Haru said.

"That's her power." Daisy said. Suddenly, sections of Magdala's hair lifted up from her shoulders and five axes appeared in her hair, surprising everybody. The axes collided towards Aster and smashed into the ground where he stood, creating a huge dust cloud.

"ASTER!" Jaden yelled. As soon as Jaden said his name, Aster leapt out of the cloud backwards, landing on the base of his shoulders, but he successfully pushed off on his hands and flipped back onto his feet.

"Whoa that was so close!" Aster exclaimed. The dust cleared, and Magdala stood with her five axes hovering around her, and the rest of her hair waving wildly around her body.

"Magdala can control her hair at will. She can make it longer, shorter and even sharper than any knife." Daisy said.

"Wow. That would be so awesome if she wasn't trying to kill Aster." Syrus groaned. One of Magdala's axes whooshed through the air towards Aster and smashed into the ground where he stood, and Aster jumped out of the way, barely avoiding the axe. Aster ran around the clearing as axes collided into the ground where he would've previously stood.

_Magdala's tougher than when I saw her. I can't tell where she's going to attack next._

"Aster, look out." Jesse yelled.

"Huh?" Suddenly, an arm made of Magdala's hair hit him directly off his feet and landed closer to Magdala.

"Ow! That flamin' hurt!" Aster yelled, sitting up. Every section of Magdala's hair morphed into thick needles and jammed themselves into the ground around the two of them.

_Now what?_ Aster thought, standing up. Magdala's hair began to spin around in the ground, making earth, mud and grass fly up out of the ground and into the air, and was moving so quickly, it made a miniature wind tunnel around them. Aster edged himself away from the hair slowly.

"Stop moving, big brother. Or your death will hurt more." Magdala said. The cage began to close in quickly, and Aster side stepped away from the edge, almost tripping.

"This doesn't look good." Jaden said. "Aster's getting creamed and Magdala hasn't even moved a muscle."

"Don't worry about it, guys." Aster yelled. "I've got an idea." He looked over his shoulder, smirking. "Know how to stop a fan?" Haru's eyes widened after figuring out what Aster meant.

"Pull the plug!" Jesse yelled.

"Will it!" Syrus shouted, waving his arm in the air.

"Smash it!" Hassleberry said with a goofy grin.

"Erm…press the off switch?" Jaden guessed.

"Idiots." Daisy muttered. Aster rolled his eyes.

"I'll just show you, shall I?" Aster shot a blue energy beam from his right hand, and it hit Magdala in her stomach. Her hair pulled out from the ground as she was knocked over backwards onto the grass with her hair surrounding her.

"That's how you stop a fan! At the centre!" Jaden exclaimed.

"It wasn't to will it?" Syrus asked.

"No. Aster saw Magdala as a fan, with her in the centre. If you try to stop a fan on the edges, it hurts, just like Magdala's hair. But stopping it in the centre of the fan works and it's safe as well. That's why Aster hit Magdala." Haru explained. Magdala sat up on her knees.

"O…ouch." She whispered. Aster walked up to Magdala.

"I'll make this quick." Aster said. Magdala giggled.

"I get it." She pointed at Aster. "You think you're going to kill me, right?" Slowly, Magdala's hair lifted up from the ground and began weaving into plaits. "Well sorry to disappoint you but…" Magdala glared angrily at Aster "No one can kill me NOBODY!" Magdala yelled. Suddenly, her hair lifted up from the ground in thousands of tiny plaits, with arrow heads for ends, and they charged towards Aster. He gasped and somersaulted backwards quickly to get away from the hair, which tossed and turned towards him like waves, before hiding behind a tree.

"Where'd you go?" Magdala asked, walking through the clearing and looking around. Her thousands of plaits shortened and hung down her back. Aster stayed hidden behind the tree.

_Boy, she's really tough._ Aster thought._ How can I beat her?_ Magdala turned to her right, and spotted black loafers behind a tree.

_Big brother's shoes._ She thought, smiling.

"There you are!" Magdala said cheerfully. Her plaits grew longer and tore the tree up until there was nothing left except splinters. One of her plaits went through Aster, who gasped and fell onto the floor.

"She got him!" Daisy yelled.

"No she didn't." Hassleberry said. Suddenly, Aster disappeared into a puddle of water. "See?"

"A water clone." Magdala muttered. "Then where's the real big brother?" Magdala walked into the clearing again, looking around her. In another tree, Aster stood on one of the thick branches with one hand on the trunk to support himself.

_Yes…now's my chance._ Aster raised his right arm up in the air. Blue frost encircled his hand. _Water from air…ice from water…_ Icicles appeared in the air around Aster until there were about a dozen of them.

"NOW!" Aster yelled, throwing his hand towards Magdala. The icicles followed the path and sped to Magdala. Without looking, Magdala morphed her hair into a large fan the size of an exercise ball. It spun around quickly and smashed the icicles into pieces.

"What?!" Aster exclaimed. One of Magdala's axes suddenly whooshed towards him, and Aster jumped out of the way just in time. As he landed on the ground, Magdala's axe floated in front of her face. She plucked off a strand of hair that was silver.

"Hmmm…such pretty hair." She said. She looked at her white axe, and it had several strands of it. "Big brother's hair is so pretty." Aster glanced at one of his silver bangs. It was an inch shorter than it was before.

"Okay you're good I admit it." Aster stood up. "But I'm still gonna kick your ass."

"You can see my talent, big brother. You don't stand a chance against it. Look at the trees. You're lucky they weren't you."

"Yeah well…you know me. I just don't know the meaning of give up." From a tree behind Aster, all of the leaves turned black and all the water rushed towards Aster and spun around him in a vortex, with Aster visible in the middle. "But you'll know the meaning soon enough."

"Alright. Now things are gonna kick off!" Hassleberry cheered.

"Magdala's got something planned." Daisy said. "Look at her face. She's smiling." Sure enough, Magdala's face showed a big smile.

"I've got a trick up my sleeve, big brother. Momma learnt it from Mikoto."

"Mikoto?" Hassleberry repeated. He spotted thin hairs appear around Magdala's hand. "Uh oh."

"Ah!" Aster gasped. He had his hand on the left side of his face, and he lost concentration, causing the water vortex to fall onto the floor in a puddle.

_Something cut me…_ He looked at his reflection in the puddle, and a cut the size of a paper cut was on his face. _It's not too deep. But still…what's going on?_ A leaf floated down in front of Aster. Suddenly, it cut in half and floated onto the floor.

"Huh?" Aster looked around him. Thin hairs were all around him and Magdala, weaving around trees and branches, and encasing them in a net of hair.

"These hairs are quite sharp, so don't move. But then that will make killing me difficult."

"Dammit, why won't you play fair?" Hassleberry yelled. "Afraid you'll get beaten?"

"Shuddup!" Aster snapped. "I'm trying to think."

_There's got to be a way around this._ Aster thought. _But I can't move without getting injured._

"Face it, big brother. You're defeated." Magdala said. She saw Aster's left hand reach towards his golden manacle. "Fine. If you really want to die, then-" Suddenly, Aster's phoenix wings appeared behind him, snapping the hairs. "Huh?" Magdala whispered as the hairs around her fingers fell to the floor.

"Wow. It worked." Aster said, his wings disappearing. "Now, where was I? Oh yeah, I remember." The puddle he was standing on suddenly turned into eight tentacles that waved around Aster. "Come on. Attack me." Aster taunted. Magdala smiled.

"Alright." She pulled on more hairs.

"That's not gonna work." Aster said.

"Hey. What's going on?" Jesse yelled.

"I can't move." Daisy said.

"Not again!" Hassleberry exclaimed.

"That's cheating! You're controlling them." Aster yelled.

"Aster! Look out!" Syrus yelled. Aster turned to his right, and dodged just in time as Syrus' sword made a stab attack. A water tentacle splashed Syrus onto a tree and froze him there.

"Sorry, Sy." Aster apologised.

"It's alright." Syrus said.

"It's like I've lost control of myself." Jesse said, his arm holding his whip waving around and making patterns in the air like a sparkler. "Stop it, arm. Stop it."

"Heads up!" Daisy yelled. Her right hand lashed out at Aster, holding three picks like claws. "Sorry…sorry…sorry." Daisy said with each swipe. Aster ducked out of the way of the claws, and froze her arm to a tree with another tentacle. He sensed somebody behind him, and using another tentacle, froze the person to a tree, which turned out to be James.

"Sorry, Dad."

"Private!" Hassleberry yelled, before his fist collided across Aster's face. The remaining tentacles returned into puddle form after the attack, and Hassleberry lunged out at Aster again.

"This feels weird." Jaden said, being forced to pull out his gun. He shot a pulsation at Aster, who ducked down onto the floor and kicked Hassleberry in the stomach.

"Sorry about this." Aster muttered, making branches wrap around Hassleberry. "Is that everyone?"

"There's us three." Jesse yelled, his whip cracking the ground next to Aster and singeing the grass.

"Look out!" Haru warned, attempting a punch at Aster. Aster stepped backwards, surrounded by Jesse, Jaden and Haru. He heard himself step into the puddle again.

_I think I have an idea…_ Aster thought. The water under his feet began to spin in a circle. _This is going to take a lot of my concentration, but it's worth it._ Suddenly, the water burst into a giant dome that forced the remaining three onto trees that froze them there. When the dome disappeared, Aster fell onto one knee.

"Are you okay?" Daisy asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine. That attack usually takes a lot of focus. Huh?" Aster looked up to find Magdala, but she was nowhere to be seen. "Where'd she go?" Aster wondered, standing up. "Oh come on. Don't tell me she can turn invisible as well." Magdala jumped two metres behind Aster and her hair sped towards Aster.

"LOOK OUT!" Haru yelled. Aster turned around, just as Magdala's hair wrapped around his neck.

"Gah!" Aster choked, clutching the hair. "You…you little brat." Magdala stood in front of Aster and looked into his eyes.

"Momma wanted me to ask you something as well." She said. "What do you know of the phoenix fire?" Aster's eyes widened.

"The what?" Aster asked. "Phoenix fire? I don't know what the hell you're talking about."

"Are you sure?" Magdala asked, smirking. She snapped her fingers. Her hair tightened around Aster's neck, making him fall onto his knees. "Now tell me, or you'll die right here and now. I can easily break your neck, so answer quickly."

"N…not…on my…watch!" Aster managed to yell. His right hand glowed blue, and he sliced through Magdala's hair.

"Oh!" Magdala gasped in surprise, her hair becoming shoulder length.

"Phew!" Aster sighed, rubbing his neck. "Another minute longer and I'd have been a goner." He looked at the white hair in his left hand. "Damn. You're trying to kill me, but it's still tough to hack off a girl's hair." He looked up at Magdala, whose hair waved around her head as it grew back to its original length. Aster smiled. "But hey. If it's gonna grow back anyway, then who's complaining?" He dropped Magdala's hair onto the ground. "Why am I always fighting girls? First Ember, then Meno, now you?"

_He's acting so casual in the face of death?_ Magdala thought. _Isn't he afraid of anything?_

"If you won't answer me, I'll have to carry on killing you until you do!" Magdala declared. Two sections of her hair weaved into plaits and charged towards Aster. He managed to cart wheel out of the way of one, but the other scratched him on his left shoulder.

"Wow. You finally managed to get me." Aster said, smiling coolly.

"Be careful not to hurt yourself, big brother. But most importantly…" Magdala made more thin hairs weave around her fingers. "Don't let your friends hurt themselves." She pulled on the hairs. Suddenly, Daisy was pulled away from the tree and whooshed towards the centre of the clearing. At the same time, Syrus was pulled away from the ice with his sword pointed towards Daisy. Aster gasped.

_Would she actually do it?_ Aster wondered.

"If you won't tell me what I want to know, then your friend shall die." Magdala said wickedly.

"No!" Aster yelled. Syrus and Daisy stopped moving just as Syrus' sword was inches away from Daisy.

"What happened?" Syrus wondered.

"I can move again." Daisy said, looking at her arms. Magdala gasped. Everyone turned to Magdala, who was trembling all over and had a look of both surprise and shock on her face.

"I…I can't move…I'm…frozen…" Magdala whispered.

"What?" Hassleberry yelled.

"Did Aster…" Jaden started, looking at Aster. His right palm was pointing to Magdala, and he looked just as surprised as her.

"What's going on?" Aster asked himself. "Am I doing this?" He pointed his hand to the left. Magdala moved the direction he was pointing in. "I am doing this!" Aster exclaimed. "Dad! What's going on? I couldn't do this before!" He yelled.

"I'm sorry Aster but…there are questions even I can't answer."

"Oh, how helpful." Hassleberry exclaimed sarcastically.

"But still…" Aster smirked and turned back to Magdala. "This gives me an advantage. You can't move, can you? Now for payback." Aster raised his arm in the air. Magdala lifted off the ground twenty metres in the air and near the tree tops.

"Momma…help me…" Magdala whimpered. Aster moved his arm back towards the ground, and Magdala collided into the earth. She sat up shakily and saw Aster stand directly in front of her.

"Please…no more, big brother. Stop it." Magdala begged.

"I don't plan to let you suffer for long." Aster said. "But I'll finish you off with this." The grass around Magdala blackened and the water went to Aster's right hand in a sphere the size of a football. It suddenly froze and Aster threw it at Magdala's stomach. She gasped from the attack and was knocked backwards on the grass, unconscious.

"I'll let you off with that." Aster said. The ice and branches holding the gang against the trees moved away and they all ran to Aster.

"You okay?" Jaden asked.

"That was amazing!" Jesse exclaimed.

"Sorry about us attacking you." Daisy apologised. "Huh?"

"What's wrong?" Aster asked.

"You're scratch. It's gone." Daisy pointed at Aster's left shoulder. He glanced at it and there wasn't a single trace of a scratch.

"How did you do that?" Syrus asked.

"Why are you asking me?" Aster exclaimed. "You honestly think I'd know?!" James looked at the friends arguing.

_What Aster did to Magdala…_ James thought. _It's not a natural phoenix warrior ability. How did he do it?_

"C'mon, I wanna go home. I've gotta fix that hallway." Aster said.

"Yeah. I don't know why, but I'm beat!" Jesse exclaimed cheerfully. Suddenly, Jesse felt the presence of someone close by. He looked to his right, and in the trees was a brief shadow of what looked like a tiger.

"Is something wrong, Jesse?" Syrus asked. Jesse blinked after hearing Syrus' voice, and the shadow was gone.

"I thought I saw…never mind." Jesse muttered. "I'm probably just seeing things."

"Well let's go already." Jaden said, walking back to the city with the rest of the gang.

"What about Magdala?" Aster asked.

"Nah, I'm sure her "momma" will come and get her." Hassleberry reassured. Jesse stopped walking briefly and looked behind him again.

_That presence…I felt it again_. Jesse thought. _Someone's after me._

"Come on, Jesse." Jaden yelled. Jesse shook his head quickly and ran back to catch up with the others.

…

Magdala blinked her eyes open slowly. She sat up and found herself on the bed in her flat.

"How did I get here?" She wondered. The lights were off apart from a lamp and the curtains were closed. She looked up, and saw a ghostly figure of Miranda.

"Momma." Magdala gasped. "I'm sorry, momma. I tried. I really did. I wanted to make you proud. I…" Miranda smiled softly.

"It's alright." Miranda said. She placed a hand on the side of Magdala's face. "You've suffered so much. Do you feel sick?" Magdala nodded. Miranda gently laid Magdala back onto her bed and drew the covers up to her shoulders. "Rest now, Magdala. You've done your best. I'm proud of you." Magdala smiled sleepily. "You're a good girl, Magdala."

"Momma…" She whispered, her eyelids drooping.

"You're stronger than you look, my darling. And to think you're that weakling James' daughter."

_James…_ Magdala thought, falling asleep. _Daddy…_

…

"Aster?" James asked, opening the door to Aster's bedroom. Aster was lounging on the bed, staring at the glow in the dark stars plastered all over the ceiling.

"Hey, Dad?" Aster began. "Why could I control Magdala like that? And what about the scratch I had? Why did that suddenly vanish? Hannah should be the only one other than Meno who can heal. And Hannah can't even heal herself."

"You've got me there, I'm afraid Aster." James said. Aster sat up with a groan.

"This is just getting so frustrating. I never asked for any of it. I've got a clone sister and a sorceress who's my mother!" Aster slammed his fist onto his bed in frustration. "Why's my family always trying to kill me?" He grumbled.

"I'm not." James pointed out.

"But you're not evil. Two of my family members are, and they'll do anything to see me dead." Aster poked a mobile with all the planets of the solar system and the sun in the centre. "I just want a normal family like when I was a kid. No magical diddly doo dah. No secrets. No lies. Is that too much to ask?"

"Aster…" James started. "How do you feel about Meno?" Aster looked at James, surprised.

"That's a bit random. But…she's kind. And even though she was born to kill, I don't think she could ever do it. Even if she did, she'd immediately regret it. So, yeah…she's a cool kid. Why did you ask?"

"Because she feels incredibly close to you too. She really likes me as well. Whenever I'm around, she always calls me "papa"," James laughed slightly.

"I think she'd make a better sister than Magdala to be honest. Speaking of, where is she?"

"I think she went on a walk with Syrus." James answered.

"I just hope nobody bad is looking for her." Aster muttered.

…

Meno stood on the beach of domino city with Syrus, staring at the sunset.

"Wow. It's so pretty." Meno breathed. Syrus fidgeted.

_I want to say it's pretty like her, but I'm too nervous._ Syrus thought.

"Is something wrong?" Meno asked.

"Oh, nothing. Nothing." Syrus said quickly.

"Aster's a good friend, isn't he? Even though he found out I'm a Kishido, he didn't think I was a freak. He wanted to help me. Sometimes I think he's a big brother to me, and his father is kind too."

"Guess your right." Syrus said.

"Thanks for understanding Syrus. You're a good friend too." Meno leaned towards Syrus and kissed him lightly on the cheek. Syrus blushed and fiddled with his yellow jacket.

"Hey! You!"

The two kids turned to the sound of the voice, and spotted two men wearing a green army uniform without the camouflage disguise. Both of them had helmets with a see through visor and green balaclavas over their heads, and they both held large guns.

"You're that girl on the news, the one who's the innocent witness. But we know who you really are. You're the actual killer, aren't you?" One man said.

"Alright, Armstrong. Let's just take the girl and get out of here." The other soldier said.

"C'mon. Don't spoil my fun." Armstrong pointed the gun at Syrus' head. "Now hand her over. Now!" He demanded. Meno clung to Syrus, trembling.

"Leave us alone. We're just watching the sunset, so go away." Syrus snapped.

"Well, who'd have thought a monster could have a boyfriend? Just hand her over, or I won't hesitate to kill you." Armstrong said fiercely. Syrus' eyes widened.

"Uh, kill? What do you mean kill?" Syrus whimpered.

"You really are stupid. It means I point this gun at your head, I pull the trigger, and your brains splatter all over the sand." Syrus grimaced.

"Armstrong. He's just a citizen. Leave him be." The other soldier said nervously.

"But he knows too much, Smith." Armstrong snapped. "Oh, well." Using the base of his gun, Armstrong hit Syrus behind the head, and he fell onto the floor.

"Syrus! Are you okay?" Meno asked, kneeling down by his side. Armstrong punched her across the face and grabbed her ankle.

"Now then. Let's go." Armstrong walked across the beach towards a harbour, dragging Meno across the sand with Smith close behind. Syrus sat up, rubbing the back of his head.

"Meno…" Syrus whispered.

**OOOOOOOO! What a way to end it! Meno's been captured, Jesse has got a new enemy, and Magdala knows who her dad is. What will happen next? Absolute chaos, that's what! Next chapter's coming soon. Stay tuned, review, favourite, and you know the rest. See ya next time!**


	6. Chapter 6: Cat's Eyes

**Here's chapter six folks! God, I'm running out of things to write in author's notes! Ah, well!**

Chapter 6

Cat's Eyes

"Aster, slow down!" James yelled, running after Aster in the dark towards the beach.

"Meno and Syrus are in trouble. There's no time to lose." Aster shouted back, running down the stone steps and onto the sand. "Syrus! Meno!" Aster called out. Within seconds, Syrus ran towards Aster.

"Oh thank god you're here, Aster." Syrus gasped. "Meno was taken by these soldiers. I think they went to the harbour."

"What?" Aster said. "C'mon, let's go!" Aster ran towards the harbour.

"Why do we always have to run everywhere?" Syrus groaned, running after Aster with James.

…

Meno looked up at the sky as Armstrong dragged her across the sand by her ankle with Smith close behind her.

"Are you sure this is the right girl? She's not acting like any killer I know." Smith said.

"Yeah, and how many girls do you know with blue hair and the exact same outfit as her?" Armstrong snapped. Smith pulled out a walkie talkie and switched it on.

"This is squad four, over. We have a female matching the description. We're located at Domino Harbour." Smith spoke into it. Armstrong stopped walking, dropped Meno's ankle and hit Smith behind the head with the base of his gun, forcing Smith to drop the walkie talkie. Armstrong destroyed it by slamming his gun on it.

"Don't spoil my fun." He said with a grin. Meno sat up onto her knees but before she could run away, she cried out in pain as Armstrong grappled her hair.

"I hear you're a real badass." Arm strong said. He pointed the gun under Meno's chin. "C'mon, show me what you've got. Let's have a battle royale." Meno pulled herself free from Armstrong's strong grip, but Armstrong shoved her away from him, and she landed near a boat set up on the sand.

"If you're not gonna fight, then you're a waste of time, kid." Armstrong aimed his gun at her head. Terrified, Meno climbed over the edge of the boat and tripped inside of it.

"Armstrong, leave her be." Smith said. Armstrong ignored him, and watched as Meno climbed out of the boat and fell onto the sand. Armstrong sniffed, walked up to the boat and hit her hard behind the head as she sat up. Meno gasped and fell onto the sand from the hit.

"What a letdown." Armstrong muttered. He attached his gun to the holder on his belt. "Shoot her Smith."

"What?! But sir-"

"We were told to kill her, right? So do it."

"But-"

"Shoot her. That's an order."

"Yes sir." Smith sighed. He looked over at Meno, who was sitting up slowly, her hair hiding her face. "I'm sorry, miss. I'm only following orders." Smith pulled out his own gun and aimed it at Meno.

_BAM!_

…

"Over there! Those are the soldiers." Syrus yelled, stopping a safe distance from the soldiers and Meno.

"Why do they want her?" James wondered.

"Long story." Aster said.

"What's that guy doing there? Is he going to kill Meno?" Syrus pointed at Smith, who was aiming his gun at Meno.

_BAM!_

"I…I don't believe it. He actually killed her." Aster muttered, horrified.

"No he didn't." Syrus muttered, trembling. He pointed at Smith. Meno had sat up with her knees drawn up, and Smith showed a hole in his stomach.

"What the-" Armstrong started.

"Run." Smith choked, turning around, before his right arm was suddenly cut off by a pink energy field. Smith fell onto the sand, dead.

"What the hell?!" Aster exclaimed. Meno stood up from the ground, her hair hiding her eyes. "Uh oh." Aster said slowly. Meno looked up, her brown eyes showing no shine. Armstrong pulled out a machine gun and fired rapidly at Meno. The bullets didn't reach her, and seemed to disappear in pink pulses. Suddenly, the boat in front of her snapped in half, leaving a clear path for her. Armstrong stopped shooting and stared at Meno. She began to walk slowly towards him.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU?!" Armstrong yelled, firing his machine gun at her again, but the bullets once again disappeared as Meno walked.

"She's deflecting his bullets." Syrus said. "How's she doing that?"

"Ha ha. This is more like it." Armstrong said, smiling. Meno's right hand glowed pink, and she shot a pink energy beam towards Armstrong. Armstrong ram out of the way, allowing the beam to destroy another boat. Meno shot after Armstrong small pink energy fields in a rapid fire, but Armstrong ran out of the way down a corridor of netting and poles, which were crushed by the energy fields. Armstrong stopped running and ducked behind a low wall, close to where Aster and the others were standing.

"Get out of here!" Armstrong yelled at them. "Or you'll get killed." Suddenly, boat parts and bricks were thrown over the wall.

"Look out!" James, running to the shelter of metal barrels on the edge of a pair of stone steps leading to the beach.

"This isn't like Meno at all." Syrus said, joining James with Aster close behind. "She's really trying to kill that guy." The boat parts were thrown against the barrels and denting them. Syrus grimaced as a pole went through, barely missing his head.

"Heh. You're just throwing blind until you hit me." Armstrong laughed. He peered over the wall. Meno stood several metres away from him, boat parts floating around her. They whooshed towards him suddenly, and Armstrong ran away as a boat was thrown where he previously stood, exploding as it hit some barrels filled with petrol. He hid behind another low wall, which was vertical. Suddenly, Smith's body was flung against the wall and fell back onto the sand, staining it with blood. Armstrong peeked over the top of the wall, and saw Meno slowly walking towards him. He ducked back down again.

"Wow. This is just too cool." He muttered.

"He's got a plan." Aster said. "I can read his thoughts."

"What's he thinking then?" Syrus asked.

"He's going to wait until he can hear Meno step into that man's blood, then he'll shoot the dynamite on his belt, killing Meno."

"What?!" James exclaimed.

_Don't do it, Meno._ Aster thought. _It's a trap._

_Alright, Armstrong. Focus._ Armstrong listened to Meno's footsteps in the sand.

_Scuff! Scuff! Scuff! Plip!_

_Now!_ Armstrong stood up and aimed his gun.

"Alright you freak of nature time to die!" He yelled. "Huh?" He looked up at Meno and realised she was holding something in her left hand, pointing directly at him. Smith's machine gun.

"Hey, that's not fair. You're cheating." Armstrong whined. Meno pulled the trigger and bullets rushed towards him. He ran towards Aster, James and Syrus to escape. "She's not human!" He yelled. He gasped as bullets came in contact with his back and he fell onto the sand. No sooner had he rolled over on his back, Meno appeared in front of him in a flash of pink light and stood on his right arm. Armstrong stared up into Meno's cold brown eyes in fear.

"Do you enjoy this?" Meno asked coldly. Armstrong growled.

"Bitch." He muttered. He aimed a kick at Meno. Her right hand glowed pink, and his right leg flew off before he could make contact.

"GAH!" Armstrong yelled. "You bitch. You bitch. How dare you….cut my leg off." He reached out towards her with a shaking left arm, but a blade appeared in Meno's right hand and she sliced it off effortlessly.

"AH!! Why you little…I won't forget you…I'll hunt you down." Armstrong growled. Meno looked up and spotted Aster, who was shaking all over after what he saw.

"Now you." She said. She stepped off Armstrong and walked towards the barrels that James, Syrus and Aster were taking shelter behind.

"That's not Meno anymore." Syrus whimpered.

"She's going to kill us. She really is." Aster muttered. Armstrong narrowed his eyes and, with his only arm, pulled out a .50 Calibre gun and shot Meno at her head. Luckily, the bullet went across the right side of her head, and she cried out in pain with her hand over the scratch.

"Damn. Missed." Armstrong cursed. Meno removed her hand from her head and looked at it. Her eyes widened. It was covered with blood.

"Blood?" Meno whispered. Her eyes regained their shine as she stared at the blood on her hand. "It's blood." Meno fell onto her knees with her face in her hands. "It hurts. It hurts so much. It hurts." Armstrong stared at Meno in surprise.

"Wha…You're crying?" He said. He groaned. "This is just great."

"Meno!" Aster yelled, running towards Meno.

"Aster, wait! It's too dangerous! You'll just get killed!" James yelled. Aster kneeled down beside Meno.

"Are you okay? There's blood on your head." Meno looked up at Aster.

"What happened?" She asked. "What's going on? Who's that man over there? And why's his arm and leg missing?"

"Well…er…" Aster started nervously. Meno gasped.

"Don't tell me. Did I do it?" Aster nodded awkwardly. "Oh no. Not again." She wrapped her arms around Aster and began to cry again. "I'm so sorry you saw that. Where's Syrus? Is he okay?"

"Meno, I'm fine." Syrus said, joining Aster with James by his side.

"Syrus? Papa?" Meno whispered. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm…sorry…." Aster helped Meno stand up.

"Don't worry about it. I'll go call an ambulance. Dad, look after Meno." Aster flipped his cell phone open and began to dial. Meno ran to Armstrong and kneeled down by his side.

"I'm sorry about what I did." Meno apologised. "Aster's calling an ambulance now. You're going to be okay."

"Aren't you going to finish what you started?" Armstrong demanded. Meno shook her head.

"I could never kill anyone, but my other half certainly will."

"Other…half?"

"They'll be on their way in five minutes." Aster yelled. He put his cell phone back in his pocket. "What Meno did to that soldier. It wasn't human. She would never do that. It must have been that other half she was talking about. I don't know about you, Dad, but that other side of Meno…" Aster clenched his jacket tightly. "It scared me…Just…scared me. If she wasn't shot on the head, she would have definitely killed us."

"Got that right. That other half is eviler than your mom." Syrus exclaimed. "Well, maybe that's exaggerating a bit, but you know what I mean." A doctor dressed in white rushed onto the sand toward the group.

"We came here as quickly as we could. Is that the man there?" He asked, pointing at Armstrong. Aster nodded. "Alright men. Get moving." Two more medical men ran across the sand with a stretcher.

"You're going to be okay now, mister. I'm sorry." Meno said. She stood up and ran towards Aster and the others. She hugged James tightly. "I'm so sorry about what happened, papa. You shouldn't have seen it. I didn't want you to. I really am sorry."

"It's alright, Meno." James said. "Now let's go home. We've got to sort out that head injury."

…

"Where've you been all night, Meno? I've been worried sick about ya." Jesse asked Meno the next morning.

"Me and Syrus went on a walk down the beach. Nothing special."

"But what about that bandage around your head?"

"Er…I fell…down the stairs on the way up here." Meno lied. She giggled. "I'm such a klutz."

"Well, alright. You really should be more careful." Jesse looked out the window.

"What's wrong?" Meno asked.

"I always have a feeling someone's following me. And yesterday, after Aster fought Magdala, I saw a tiger."

"A tiger? Are you sure?"

"A hundred percent. I think I've got myself an enemy. That's why I asked James for this." Jesse showed Meno his right hand. It was decorated with a dark blue fingerless glove with a yellow orb in the centre.

"What does that do?"

"I think it creates lightning. Guess it's supposed to go with my whip. I'm not sure about the bow and arrows though."

"_Don't get too confident, Jesse dear. I look forward to killing you."_

"Who are you?" Jesse asked.

"_My name is Catalina. And I've got my eyes on you."_ In Jesse's mind, he saw a pair of almond shaped light blue eyes with a slit for a pupil open. Jesse clutched his head.

"Jesse!" Meno panicked.

"There is someone after me…" Jesse whispered. "She wants to kill me. Catalina wants to kill me."

"_Meet me at Miners Cavern."_

"Miners Cavern?" Jesse repeated. Jesse made his way to the door, picking up his bow and arrows from the wall.

"Where are you going?" Meno asked.

"Where do you think? And don't tell anyone else. I don't want them involved in this." Jesse opened the front door and left.

_Jesse's going to get himself killed. I know a little about Catalina, and she's not to be messed with._

"Guys!" Meno yelled, running towards the bookcase.

…

"Alright, ready or not, here I come." Jesse declared. He stared at a mouth of a dark cave, leading into the unknown. "I've never really been here before. Well, here I go." Jesse stepped nervously into the cave, and was almost immediately plunged into darkness. "Dammit. If only I had some light." Suddenly, a lightning bolt three metres long appeared in his right hand, lighting up the area around him. "Wow. That glove's full of surprises."

Jesse walked through the cave, looking around at the walls. Some pointed rocks dripped with water, and various scribbles declaring love was drawn on with different pens or scratched into the walls.

"Why would she want me to come here?" Jesse wondered, his voice echoing through the cave.

"Welcome," As soon as Jesse walked through a doorway shaped arch, lights shot on. Jesse was standing in a giant rocky cavern with a high ceiling and was the size of a ballroom.

"What is this place?" Jesse asked himself.

"I can answer that." Jesse looked up, and standing on the top of a spike sticking out of the round wall was a black and white striped tiger. It leapt down and landed on the floor gracefully. "This was a tourist attraction, but when it's closed, it's a fighting arena. And you and I are going to fight right here and now."

"So you're Catalina? Heh, a talking tiger. What next?"

"Don't judge me by my appearance." Catalina said. "If you do, you'll definitely die."

"We'll see about that." Jesse said, his hand on his whip handle.

"Jesse, wait!" Aster yelled running through the arch. "You don't know who you're up against."

"Aster?"

"Are you suicidal or what?" Haru asked, walking through as well.

"This is the second time you've gone somewhere without telling us." Jaden exclaimed, walking in with Syrus.

"Meno, did you tell them?" Jesse asked Meno, who was following Syrus shyly. She nodded.

"Don't underestimate Catalina. She's dangerous."

"C'mon. She's just a cat." Hassleberry exclaimed, poking his head around the frame.

"Why did you come?" Jesse asked.

"Simple: we're bored." Aster answered, shrugging.

"We want some action." Jaden cheered.

"Humph. Your friends are so naïve. They don't know my power." Catalina hissed.

"Well you'll be finished before you can show us." Jesse said.

"Then let's stop talking and start fighting!" Catalina yelled impatiently.

"Fine! Don't mind if I do!" Jesse threw the lightning bolt towards the tiger like a javelin. It exploded where Catalina stood, creating a huge cloud of dust.

"Wow. That was quick." Aster muttered. When the smoke cleared, she was intact without a single strand of fur singed. In front of her was a purple shield with a golden cat shape carved on the front.

"Is that all you've got?" Catalina taunted, the shield reducing in size and disappearing in her paw.

"A shield?! Where'd that come from?" Syrus asked.

"Sorry I'm late." Daisy gasped, running into the room. "What did I miss?"

"Oh, hey Daisy. There's this tiger who's a follower of mom, and she wants to fight Jesse."

"Hey, Haru. Do you know much about her?" Syrus asked.

"Not much. All I know is that she's one of the most hated in Miranda's followers."

"Even I hate her." Meno said.

"Alright, you had I easy." Jesse said. He looked at his blue glove. "Alright, show me what you've got." The yellow sphere glowed and three thin blades appeared like claws. "Sweet." He ran towards Catalina and swiped at her back. She blocked it with a shield on her back, and swiped at Jesse with her claws, which Jesse avoided.

"Let me introduce myself properly." Jesse declared, clashing with Catalina's legs with his claw. "My name is Jesse Andersen." He grabbed Catalina's tail, swung her around and let go, so she slammed into the wall. She stood up quickly and charted towards Jesse. "I'm an outgoing, laidback teenager, who enjoys spending time with friends." He yelled, dodging Catalina's attacks. "I like duelling and apples. I hate…" He grabbed Catalina's front paws and glared into the blue cat's eyes, narrowing his own. "People like you." He muttered angrily. He shoved Catalina away from him and scratched her across the face with his claw.

"Yeah! He got her!" Syrus cheered.

"WOO!" Daisy cheered.

"Heheh. You've passed the test, Jesse." Catalina stood up. Jesse's eyes widened seeing her face. It was partly torn away from the swipe and there was a metal cat skull shaped head underneath the mask. "Now I'll get serious."

"A machine? Haru, what's going on?" Hassleberry asked.

"I'm think I know. Not many know her secret."

"What secret?" Aster asked. As soon as Aster spoke, a small explosion occurred on Catalina's back, and a trapdoor was flung open. Everyone watched in surprise as a shadow emerged out of it. An arm. A human arm. Then a head with cat ears on top of their head poked out. When the smoke cleared, a girl of age eighteen was visible from the shoulders up.

"Phew." She sighed. "It was getting hot in there."

"WHAT?!" Jaden yelled.

"A girl was inside Catalina?!" Aster exclaimed. Jesse looked at the girl, eyes wide.

"Hahaha. Now Jesse…" Catalina began. "You've introduced yourself, now let me introduce us." She climbed out of the mechanical cat. "We are Catalina."

**WOW! Two enemies against one. And what's the deadly weapon Catalina owns? Well, if you stick around you'll find out.**


	7. Chapter 7: Venom

**Well, we're back. The second part of the fight between Jesse and Catalina. What's Catalina's deadly weapon? And can Jesse defeat it? Well, let's find out already!**

Chapter 7

Venom

"Look! Coming out of that tiger." Syrus yelled.

"It's a chick!" Hassleberry exclaimed. "With cat ears!" Catalina climbed out of the tiger and placed a hand on its scratched head.

"Hello all." She purred. "We are Catalina." She had light violet shoulder length hair with black cat ears at the top of her head instead of human ears and purple eyes. She wore purple leather elbow length fingerless gloves with a leather purple crop top down to the bottom of her ribcage. She wore a purple leather short skirt halfway down to her knees with a thin black tail like a cat sticking out behind her and knee high purple leather boots.

"That's Catalina?" Jesse muttered.

"I wish I had her clothes." Daisy said huffily.

"Hey, wait a minute, she said we!" Hassleberry yelled.

"He's right. Two against one isn't fair." Meno said. Catalina glared at Meno and, fast as the wind, she ran to Meno and punched her across the face with such force, Meno fell onto the floor.

"If all you can spout is stupidity, then don't talk you stupid bitch." Catalina spat. "What's not fair about how I fight?" She indicated the white tiger. "Catalina, or Snowy, is an animal shaped weapon. Not an extra person, but a weapon." She stood on Meno's bandaged head. "If you think that's not fair then why is it? Huh? Tell me bitch!" She demanded.

"Cut that out!" Aster snapped. "Can't you see she's injured?"

"Then give the brat some education." Catalina said calmly. "Isn't that too much to ask?"

_WHAM!_

Catalina stumbled from the attack. Jesse was next to Meno, who had stood up, with his fist clenched.

"He…he hit me." Catalina whispered.

"Coming out of your shell is a big mistake when you're facing me, Catalina. Hey Meno you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"That's good." Jesse walked back into the fighting area, waving over his shoulder. "I'm about to go ballistic, guys. If I were you, I'd keep your distance."

"WOO! GO JESSE!" Jaden cheered. Catalina growled.

"Snowy, attack!" She demanded. The white tiger leapt into the air towards Jesse. "I'm going to make your face pretty, dumbass. I'll gouge out your eyeballs and skull." Snowy raised a paw, and their claws gleamed in the light with a hint of green.

"Jesse, look out! The claws!" Haru yelled. Jesse shot his light claw at the tiger, hitting it in the skull and distracting it. Jesse ducked out of the way and ran to Catalina.

"Hello." He said cheerfully. Suddenly, Jesse whacked Catalina behind her head and her face slammed into the floor. She looked up at Jesse, who was staring down at her angrily. "What was that you said about me? Who's a dumbass?"

"Whoa, he wasn't joking when he said he'd go ballistic." Syrus said.

"Yeah! Even Haru noticed." Hassleberry exclaimed.

"Hassleberry, I told you not to tell anyone." Haru muttered.

"Oh," Catalina gasped, scrambling backwards away from Jesse. "I'm sorry. I really am." She cried, tears falling down her face. She looked down at the floor. "It was Miss Miranda's orders. I can't do it anymore."

"Forgive you?" Jesse repeated. He shrugged. "Apologise to Meno."

"I'm sorry." Catalina whispered. Jesse placed a hand on his hip.

"And for saying I was a dumbass."

"Sorry."

"Hmmm…what else is there?" Jesse said thoughtfully.

"And he holds grudges well." Aster said. He looked behind Jesse at the tiger. It was slowly creeping towards Jesse, claws out and ready to strike. It suddenly roared and leapt towards Jesse, ready to scratch.

"Jesse behind you!" Aster yelled. Jesse looked behind him and spotted the tiger immediately.

"Whoa!" He yelled, jumping out of the way as Snowy scratched the air where he once stood. He skidded across the ground onto one knee.

"You little faker, Catalina." Jesse said, smirking. A single scratch was visible on his left shoulder.

"Tears are a girl's most dangerous weapon." Catalina said, standing up. "Remember that, dumbass."

"Phew, that was close." Aster sighed.

"Oh no." Meno gasped.

"What's wrong?" Syrus asked. Meno was trembling and there were tears in her eyes.

"Jesse was scratched by the tiger's claws. Now he's going to die." She whispered.

"What?! Die? From that tiny scratch?" Aster asked.

"Yes. Small as it is, there is more to that scratch that meets the eye." Jesse stood up, brushing the dust off his boots. "Equipped to the tiger Catalina calls Snowy is a deadly weapon." Haru explained. Snowy's claws flashed green. "The weapon is known as…the venom claws."

"Venom claws?" Daisy repeated. Haru nodded.

"Unless Jesse acts fast, he shall die." Haru said.

"Okay, ready or not, here I-" Jesse stopped in mid sentence.

_What's going on?_ He looked at his right hand. It was shaking. _I can feel my strength draining. Why?_

_Ba-bump._

Jesse suddenly felt his entire body grow numb, and his heart pounded.

"Counting down." Catalina hissed.

…

"Why are you still here Kai?" Melody asked, walking out of the bookcase passage and spotting Kai sitting on the sofa.

"Daisy hasn't forgiven me just yet. When she does, I shall find my own home."

"Well I thought you'd see the fight with Catalina. I wish I could, but I don't feel very well."

"I fear for whoever fights her." Kai said.

"Huh? Why?" Melody asked.

"Because, unlike the rest of us, she isn't human. She is an animal shaped weapon."

"A robot?"

"In a way, but…"

"But what?" Melody asked.

"She is treacherous and cunning. She even uses Miranda in her plans and schemes without her realising. She's got a number of abilities and weapons. Then there are the claws."

"I'm all ears, so explain away." Melody said.

"Her claws are deadly. She's used them without even coming out of her tiger. When she does come out however, her opponent always dies." Melody's eyes widened.

"What kind of claws are they?" She dared to ask.

"One scratch from them and, within minutes, the victim dies. They are the venom claws." Melody gasped.

"Oh no. Jesse's fighting her." She looked out of the window.

_Jesse…please come back alive._

…

"HA HA HA HA HA!" Catalina laughed. "You fell for it, dumbass. That's what you get for showing off."

_What's going on?_ Jesse thought, shaking from the poison and struggling to breathe.

"Let me explain. That scratch on your shoulder is a notification of your death. The claws attached to Snowy are a combination of many poisons." She smirked. "Ten minutes. That's the time it takes for the poison to spread. You'll never see your mommy again. You'll never see your friends or feel the embrace of the one you love. I love watching fools beg for their lives."

"So a mixture of poisons is in Jesse. There has to be a way around it." Aster said.

"You're wrong there, kid. There's nothing Jesse can do. He's already harboured the poison for three minutes, and he'll be facing the effects soon." Catalina smirked.

_Ba-bump!_

Jesse's eyes widened. He looked down at the floor and coughed. Jaden spotted drops of blood drip onto the floor.

_Hang in there, Jesse._ Jaden thought.

"Oh, hurry up and die already." Catalina exclaimed, impatient.

"Haru, there's got to be something that Jesse can do. Maybe the poison has a weakness." Jaden said.

"Not likely. It's a combination of poisons. An ordinary antidote won't work." Jaden fell onto his knees.

"Then…then…" Jaden started. "What are we supposed to do?! Can't we do anything?!" Jaden yelled, tears in his eyes. "Do we just have to stand here…and watch him die in front of us?!" Meno trembled with fright, Aster closed his eyes tightly and Syrus was trying extremely hard not to cry.

"There is a way." Haru said.

"Huh?" Jaden said.

"Listen to me, Jesse." Haru yelled. Jesse looked up; blood leaking out the corner of his mouth and gasping for breath. "A normal antidote won't work on the poison inside you. There's a special one for that particular type. She should have it. An antidote."

"So there is an antidote?" Jaden asked. Catalina giggled.

"True. One does exist." She grinned. "Same I forgot to bring it." Haru gasped. "I'll enjoy torturing you for a while." Catalina leapt into the air, as did Snowy.

"First, your heart gets affected!" Catalina yelled, punching Jesse across his face. "Then, you become numb and spit blood, and then your will to live will go." Snowy pounced towards Jesse, and he punched it weakly on the paw.

"A feeble punch like that isn't going to work." Catalina laughed, kicking him on the arm. "Ah, this is what I enjoy about fighting." She sighed. "Pure ecstasy."

"That witch. She's enjoying herself." Jaden said angrily. Aster turned away from Jesse's beatings.

_Dammit, Jesse._ Aster thought. _Why do you insist on doing these things?_

"Time to finish you off once and for all. DIE!" Catalina yelled, leaping to Jesse. Jesse hit Catalina in her chest, making her land on her feet, her eyes wide.

"Now we're even." Jesse said. Catalina looked at Jesse's fist. Between two of his fingers was a claw. She glanced at Snowy's paw. A claw was missing.

_Could he have…?_ Catalina thought, remembering when Jesse punched Snowy's paw. Jesse smiled, removing the claw from Catalina and dropping it on the floor.

"I've got sticky fingers." He said cheerfully.

"Oh no! I'm hit! I'm poisoned!" Catalina screamed, stepping away from Jesse in horror.

_Now…_Jesse thought. _Bring it out._

"I don't want to die." Catalina said, reaching into her skirt pocket. She pulled out a green sphere the size of a marble. "The antidote. I've got to swallow it."

_There!_ Jesse dashed to Catalina.

"Yoink!" He sang, snatching the sphere from her hands.

"But how? The poison should have paralysed you." Jesse swallowed the antidote and snapped his fingers.

"That's because the lightning is always fast." Lightning span around him in a vortex. "Jesse is cured!" He yelled happily.

"Yeah!" Syrus and Jaden cheered.

"He was saving his energy for that final dash." Aster said. "Impressive." The lightning died away in a sphere in Jesse's right hand.

"I didn't fall for that lie you told for a single second. I knew you had the antidote with you, because with a weapon like those claws, you've got to have a safeguard, right? When you got poisoned, you could have waited until I had died to get it out. But you we're so eager to save your own life, you blew it." Jesse laughed cheerfully. Catalina growled as she swallowed another green sphere.

"Now then, time to finish this." He threw the sphere to Snowy, who made its purple shield appear.

"Fool! Don't you know that Snowy's shield is impenetrable?" Suddenly, the shield broke when the lightning sphere hit it, and the sphere disappeared. Catalina's eyes widened. "They cancelled each other out?!" Jesse threw a final lightning sphere to Snowy, destroying it in a shower of mechanical parts.

"No!" Catalina yelled. Jesse appeared in front of her.

"Now I have weapons, and you don't." He kicked Catalina in the stomach, grabbed her waist and threw her onto the floor. He grabbed his whip and it wrapped around her body, pinning her arms to her sides. Jesse swung her around his head while she screamed, until the whip slackened and Catalina slammed into the wall. She slid onto the ground, defeated.

"Yeah! You did it!" Syrus yelled, running to Jesse.

"Heh. It was easy. Really." Jesse said.

"Don't get cocky, dumbass." Catalina muttered, sitting up. "You took the antidote just a few seconds before you died."

"Yeah, so what?" Hassleberry snapped, joining Jesse with the others.

"There are some consequences. Or side affects if you must call them that."

"Side affects?" Aster repeated. Catalina nodded and smiled.

"And they should be kicking in right about…now."

_Ba-bump_

"GAH!" Jesse choked. He fell onto his knees, coughing furiously.

"Jesse!" Jaden yelled. "Jesse, are you okay?"

"I'll heal him." Meno said.

"You rotten little…" Aster began angrily.

"Don't look at me like that. It's his fault for going after me and falling for the trap I set for him to come here." Catalina stood up and brushed the dirt off her leather outfit.

"You're going to pay for this. You know that?" Aster snapped. Catalina stepped forward and looked at Aster's face.

"Hmmm. Up close and personal you're not that bad." She purred. "I know a lot about you, kid. Aster isn't it? Yeah, you're Miss Miranda's son." Catalina shook her head. "How unfortunate. If only you knew the things she did to you in your life."

"The colour's returning to his face." Syrus said.

"Good job Meno. Hey, soldier. Wake up."

"Were we too late?" Jaden panicked.

"No. He's still got a heart beat. He's probably just asleep for now. But he should be fine." Haru reassured.

"Phew!" Aster sighed.

"Hmph." Catalina sniffed.

"Alright, let's go." Hassleberry said, picking Jesse up gently and walking off with Syrus. Jaden glared angrily at Catalina's playful face, and walked off, Meno and Daisy close behind.

"Aster, we should go." Haru said.

"Alright."

"Wait, aren't you Haru the traitor?" Catalina asked.

"I'd prefer not to be called that."

"Well, well. Miss Nevara's little brother. She wanted me to tell you something." Haru raised an eyebrow.

"What now?" Aster moaned.

"Just recently, Nevara and her helpers went on a very special mission. It was very simple. Their objective was to destroy all the stone wielders in all known worlds."

"What?" Haru gasped.

"That's right. Now, all the stone wielders are wiped out. Every man, woman and child that controlled stone are dead. There's not a single one left. Well, there is one. You."

"No way." Aster muttered. "So Haru's…"

"The last stone wielder in existence. And the best part is this… Miss Nevara came up with the mission herself." Catalina scratched herself behind her cat ear. "It wasn't by orders of Miranda. It was all your sister's doing. I'll admit defeat for now. See you around. Ciao." She leapt into the air, landed on a spike and continued to leap up the walls on the spikes until she couldn't be seen.

"How could she?" Aster wondered. "How could someone wipe out an entire race of people?"

"Nevara…you've changed." Haru said quietly.

…

Melody sat on the sofa in the secret passageway, staring at the wide screen television's blank screen.

"Y'know, it helps if you turn the television on sister." Chloe said, sitting down next to her.

"I know but…I'm just worried about Jesse. He's fighting someone right now, and she has poison on her side."

"Don't worry. I'm sure he'll be fine." Chloe heard footsteps coming down the corridor. "In fact, that's probably him right now." Sure enough, Hassleberry turned the corner, carrying Jesse.

"Jesse!" Melody yelled, jumping over the sofa and running to Hassleberry. "Is Jesse okay?"

"He's suffered side affects from a powerful poison. I healed him so he should be fine." Meno answered.

"Oh thank god. I was so worried about him." Melody sighed. "Do you want me to open his bedroom door for you?"

"I'll do it." Jaden said suddenly, rushing to the door.

"Why's he so eager?"

"Out of all of us, he was affected the most when Jesse nearly died." Hassleberry answered. "Hardly surprising."

_Jesse…_ Melody thought. _Even though you're alive, you look so pale. Please be okay._

…

"Hmmm…so Jesse defeated you?" Nevara asked Catalina.

"Yes. But not to worry. He'll be suffering the side affects for quite some time unless the remaining poison is removed somehow."

"Oh well. As long as he suffers." Nevara shrugged. "Time to move on to the next phase of my mission." She looked over her shoulder. "Hiruko! Mariko!" She yelled. Two figures the size of twelve year olds, one boy with short messy hair and a girl with longer hair, appeared hidden by shadows.

"Yes, Nevara." The boy said.

"I've got a task for you two."

"Yay!" The girl cheered. "Something to do. Who do you want us to kill?"

"Well…" Nevara started.

…

Jesse moaned quietly and his green eyes inched themselves open. His vision was blurred, and he could faintly make out someone in a red jacket and brown hair.

"Jesse…Jesse…are you okay?"

"Wha…" Jesse started, sitting up. "Jaden? Where am I? What happened?" Jesse looked around him. He was back in his bedroom, lying on a bed with Jaden sitting next to it.

"You had some pretty rough side effects from a poison in your fight with Catalina and passed out. You've been asleep for a couple of hours."

"Oh…yeah I remember now. Where is she?"

"She got away." Jaden clenched the bed sheets tightly. "She nearly killed you. And she enjoyed it. I promise you Jesse, she's going to pay. I will defeat her!"

"Jay…you shouldn't get angry with her for nearly killing me. It was my fault for being careless."

"But still, I can't stand seeing something terrible happen to my friends."

"I still managed to defeat her." Jesse pointed out.

"Hey Jaden have you had any…" Aster started, walking into the room. He stopped after noticing Jesse was awake. "Oh. Am I interrupting something?"

"No not really." Jesse said.

"Have you two…noticed anything strange?" Aster asked.

"Besides you?" Jaden muttered. Jesse heard and tried hard not to laugh. Aster sighed.

"Never mind." He said and began to walk out again.

"Wait." Jaden stood up and placed a hand on Aster's shoulder, stopping him. "Why do you think something's going on all of a sudden?"

"I had that weird feeling again."

"That dizzy one?" Jesse asked. Aster nodded.

"If you notice anything unusual, let me know straight away okay?"

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"

"What was that?!" Jesse yelled.

"That came from Meno's room!" Aster exclaimed. He shrugged off Jaden's hand and ran to the room two doors to the right, shoving it open. "Meno are you alright?"

"There was something in here." Meno whispered, trembling all over. She pointed at her dressing table mirror. "It came from in there. It morphed into different shapes. It was horrible."

"But…I don't see anything." Jaden said, peering into the mirror, which showed all three of their reflections. "It's probably gone now. C'mon Meno, I'll get you a drink alright?"

"Okay." Meno and Jaden left the room.

_While I was in this room…I had that feeling again._ Aster thought. He placed a hand on his head. "They're still here." He muttered. He turned to the mirror on Meno's dressing table._ What could be in there that frightened Meno?_ "What the…" In the mirror on Aster's right, Jaden stood there with a mischievous smirk.

"Alright, Jaden. Very funny." Aster sighed, turning round. "Weren't you going to-" Aster's eyes widened. Jaden was nowhere in sight. "Er…Jay? C'mon you're freaking me out." Aster turned back to the mirror. He was met with his own surprised face.

_What the hell's going on?_

"Hello, Aster." Jaden's reflection said.

"Er…me?" Aster asked nervously. His reflection smirked wickedly.

"Yes you." It said. "Prepare to die." Jaden's reflection held a gun to its own head. "First will be that kid you call Jaden."

"No. Don't!" Aster yelled.

"Aw, you don't want to lose your friend?" Aster's reflection taunted. "Too bad."

CRASH!

The mirror shattered into pieces and the shards littered the floor. Aster's hand smoked slightly from the blast he made.

"Phew. That was close."

_But…who were those people? And what do they want?_ Aster peered into one of the shards. _It seems they get their power from mirrors_. He stood backwards from the shards as realisation sunk in_. I have to warn the others._

"Everyone! This isn't a joke!" Aster yelled, running out of Meno's bedroom. "Do not look in any reflection, whatever you do!" Everybody came out of their bedrooms, confused.

"What's wrong?" Chloe asked.

"There's someone here. They can harm others via mirrors. Whatever happens, don't look into any metal or water or anything else that gives off a reflection."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Hassleberry asked.

"Oh no. Don't tell me…" Haru said.

"What?" Melody asked.

"It's not possible. Could Nevara have sent those two?"

"Haru, stop talking to yourself and tell us what's wrong." Syrus yelled.

"Miranda has two followers who are the youngest out of all of them. In fact, they're a year younger than Meno. They're twins."

"Twins?" Jesse repeated. Haru nodded.

"They're extremely deadly together at such a young age. Their names are Hiruko and Mariko. Both of them have the ability to change their forms."

"Shape shifters." Melody breathed.

"Sometimes, they make their attacks in mirrors. That way, whatever damage they inflict on themselves, the person they are reflecting suffers the same damage."

"But don't they get hurt as well?" James asked.

"No. Since the person being harmed isn't their actual body, they are unharmed. Only in their true form can they be hurt."

"So that's the next enemy then?" Daisy asked. "Shape shifters?"

"Looks like it. They might be in any reflection, so whatever happens, don't look in any mirror. If we see them in any mirror their in, they can take on our form and hurt us." A rumbling noise was heard through the passageway.

"What's going on?" Syrus asked.

"Your guess is as good as mine." Jesse said. Suddenly, water burst out of the walls in different areas.

"AHH! A LEAK!" Meno shouted.

"It's their doing." Haru said. "They've discovered that we know their secret, and are preventing us from leaving." The water stopped leaking out of the pipes. An inch of it was on the floor and it covered the walls.

"Does anyone have a sweater? I'm feeling a bit nippy." Syrus asked, shivering.

"Cold?" Aster repeated. He glanced at the thermometer on the wall. It was slowly dropping temperature until it went past the zero mark. "Uh…Haru? Kai? Y'know you said that these kids were shape shifters? Can they change the form of the atmosphere as well?"

"I've seen them do it a couple of times." Kai answered. "So yes, they can." The water on the walls began to freeze into icy mirrors, until everybody was surrounded by mirrors. The laughter of children echoed through the hall.

"Uh oh." Aster muttered.

**DUN DUN DUN! What's gonna happen next? The gang are trapped in a hall of mirrors, with deadly shape shifters on their tail. Can they beat them? Well, you all know what two words are going to come up, and they are STAY TUNED!**


	8. Chapter 8: Shape Shifters

**Hi everybody! Here's the next chapter! The gang have faced off against two shape shifters! What will happen? Read on to find out!**

Chapter 8

Shape Shifters

"They've realised we know how they attack." Kai said as the water froze on the walls.

"But that's alright. As long as we don't look in a reflection, we'll be fine right?" Syrus asked hopefully.

"I don't think so." Daisy answered. She pointed ahead of her. "There's something over there." In one of the icy walls, two shadowy figures with white eyes were visible, and they morphed into two different silhouettes. One had short blue hair, another spiky green hair. They quickly changed form again, and this time, one had brown hair, and the second silver.

"Dammit! They know what I look like!" Aster yelled.

"That was me!" Jesse exclaimed.

"Oh, nuts! One morphed into me!" Jaden panicked.

"They're going to kill us." Meno whimpered, trembling.

"You four get outta here. They can't harm you if you're not in their range." Haru said.

"But what about you guys?" Jaden asked.

"Don't worry about us. We'll be fine." Daisy reassured, smiling. James grabbed Aster by his shoulder and whispered something in his ear.

"Alright, let's go." Aster said.

"Good luck everyone." Jesse yelled, running towards the corridor to the bookcase with Jaden, Aster and Meno.

"Hmmm…" A boy's voice said. "So they've figured it out then. Just as planned. Mariko, you know what to do." A shadow nodded, and ran down the wall of mirrors after Aster and the others. "I'll deal with the mission."

_No! Mariko is one of the strongest shape shifters. And she knows their reflection._ Haru thought_. I've got to stop her!_ Haru began to run after Mariko, but the corridor suddenly sealed shut with ice.

"You're not going anywhere." Hiruko said.

…

"C'mon, get through!" Aster yelled, showing the bookcase open with his shoulder and nearly falling into the living room. Jesse, Jaden and Meno stumbled through and Jesse slammed the bookcase shut.

"Whew. We're safe." He sighed. Aster began to riffle trough the books, pulling some out and dropping them onto the floor.

"What're you doing?" Jaden asked.

"Dad said we won't be safe staying here. There's another passageway that activates when pulling a red book. Damn there's so many of them!" Aster answered, pulling on red books and dropping them onto the carpet.

"What's the big deal about those two anyway?" Jesse asked. "Do you know about them Meno?"

"No. Hiruko's a mystery, but I know what Mariko does. Out of the two of them, even though she is the younger twin, she's the strongest shape shifter. Hiruko can change only his own form, but Mariko can change herself and the very environment."

"That's why the water froze right?" Jaden asked. Meno nodded.

"She's extremely deadly. Let's just hope she isn't chasing us."

"Finally! The last red book!" Aster exclaimed, pulling on it. The bookcase immediately moved to the left. "You go ahead, guys! Move!" Jaden, Meno and Jesse ran through the corridor. Aster was about to follow them, but something glowed on the bookcase.

"What the…" He started. A yellow light shone on a shelf between a glass statue of an angel and a blue and white Ming vase. Without thinking, Aster grabbed it. It felt cold to the touch and was in a flat and unusual shape. Aster opened out his hand and looked at the object, which was glowing faintly now. It was in the shape of a bird with large wings spread and looked ready to fly, with its head turned to the left.

_An eagle?_ Aster thought. _No… it's a…phoenix._ Aster felt a sudden chill fill the room. He looked down at the floor. Frost was beginning to cover the carpet.

"Shoot!" Aster yelled, running through the bookcase, slamming it behind him, and continuing through the corridor. In the living room, a shadow of a girl rose from the ground and looked around.

"Oh no." Mariko whined. "I missed them. And they're the only people I'm allowed to kill. Hmph." She folded her arms and pouted. "Huh?" She spotted books littered all over the floor. "Red?" She glanced at a bookcase. Mariko noticed there was only one red book on the shelf. Curious, she pulled on it, and the bookcase moved to the left, showing a long corridor. Mariko smiled.

"Yippee! I didn't lose them!" She cheered, and skipped down the corridor.

…

"Oh, great. Some use your dad turned out to be." Jaden moaned.

"Couldn't he have at least given us a path that DIDN'T divide into three corridors?" Jesse asked.

"It's probably deliberate." Meno said. "Papa thinks that if we each go down a corridor, Mariko will only go after one of us."

"Hmmm…makes sense." Jaden muttered.

"Okay, Jaden. You and I are going down the middle one." Aster said.

"Dibs on the left." Jesse proclaimed.

"Only one left for me." Meno said quietly.

"Wish us luck!" Jaden said cheerfully, dashing down the middle corridor with Aster close behind.

"If anything happens, use your medallions to contact us!" Meno yelled after them.

"Well…see you later, Meno." Jesse said. Meno nodded and smiled.

"You too." Jesse and Meno ran down their own corridors. Seconds later, Mariko skipped around the corner, still hidden by shadows. She stopped when she came across the fork.

"Time to split." She said happily. She glowed white, and two copies of her emerged, also hidden by shadows. One ran down the left corridor, and the second clone ran down the right. "The boy of the phoenix is the one I want."

…

"Okay, I think we're here." Aster gasped, running into a dark chamber, with Jaden behind him.

"Where are we?" Jaden wondered. "It's so dark in here." Suddenly, flaming torches lit up on the walls. The two of them were standing in another ballroom sized passage, with paths that circled the round walls and criss- crossing over each other. These paths wriggled over pools of water the size of a swimming pool. In the walls were small doorways.

"Whoa." Aster said. "This place is huge." Aster walked through one of the doorways, and emerged out of another doorway next to it. Confused, Aster went back in and ran down the secret corridor. Seconds later, he came out again on the other side of the hall. "All these frames are linked."

"Perfect for hiding." Jaden yelled, walking into the centre of the room.

"Boys! Oh, boys!" A voice sang.

"Cripes! Someone's found us!" Jaden exclaimed.

"Get in one of the frames." Aster hissed quickly. Jaden jumped into the nearest frame and hid in the shadows, Aster doing the same, so they were two frames apart from each other.

"Do you think they heard us?" Jaden whispered. Aster shrugged.

"Where are you boys?" The figure asked, walking into the room. "Are you in here?"

"No." Jaden said nervously. Aster slapped his forehead.

"Jaden you idiot." Aster muttered. The shadow was now in the middle of the room, looking around.

"Phew. She didn't hear me."

"Jaden, do that again and I'll freeze you where you stand."

"There's no-one in here." The shadow said. "Wait, what if they're hiding?"

"Ah!" Aster gasped, falling onto one knee clutching his head.

"Are you okay?" Jaden asked.

"It's the dizziness again. But it's stronger. The enemy…it's the same feeling as in Meno's room, except it's much more vicious."

"It's Mariko." Jaden realised. Suddenly, the walls shook and the doorways crumbled, leaving Aster and Jaden exposed.

"There you are!" Mariko said cheerfully.

…

"I should be far enough." Jesse muttered. In front of him was a corridor that divided into different sections. "What is this place?" Spotting a wall, Jesse jumped into the air, clung to the top and peered over it. "Aw, crud! That's all I needed." All Jesse could see was corridor after corridor after corridor, all twisting and turning in different directions. Jesse let go and dropped back onto the dusty ground.

"Okay, Jesse. Remember what you learnt about mazes. Stay to the left." Jesse walked left into the maze. "Stay left…stay left." He said to himself. Suddenly, he heard vicious giggling of a girl.

"Mariko." Jesse gasped. He looked over his shoulder. A shadow was cast on the wall, showing a young girl with something sharp in her hands. An axe.

"Screw sticking to the left. I'm outta here." Jesse exclaimed, running through the labyrinth.

"Yay! This is gonna be fun!" Mariko cheered, spotting the footprints in the dust. "I'll make it more fun by making him know I'm coming." Mariko glowed white and followed the footprints.

…

Meno ran into a passageway and paused to catch her breath.

"I can sense Mariko coming. Hiruko is fighting the others." She straightened and looked around. It was littered with sofas that all circled separate oval wooden tables. "A sitting room." Meno heard footsteps come round the corridor. She gasped.

"She's coming."

"_Hey Meno."_

"Voice?"

"_Yep. I'll make a deal with you. Let me take over and defeat this person, and you'll be safe. After that, I'll let you take over again."_

"Promise?"

"_Yes."_

"Alright. But keep your word." Meno closed her eyes. Several seconds later, she opened them, and they were blank and showed no shine. Mariko walked around the corner. She stopped and frowned at Meno.

"You're not trying to run?" She questioned. Meno shook her head.

"But you should if you want to live." Meno said coldly.

"Huh?" Meno's right hand glowed pink. She raised it up to Mariko's head height, and a pink arm reached out to Mariko and went straight through her head. Mariko gasped in surprise. Seconds later, the pink hand was removed. Mariko fell onto the floor, dead.

"That was quick." Meno muttered. "All it took was to move a blood vessel a millimetre."

"Okay, you've done it. Now let me go back."

"Fine." Meno closed her eyes again, and when they opened, her usual shine had returned. Suddenly, Mariko disappeared in a puff of smoke.

_A clone?_ Meno thought. _I've got to help the others._

…

"Oh, dammit. She found us." Jaden moaned.

"You can see us, but we can't see you, so come out of those shadows now." Aster demanded. Mariko stepped forward, and she was entirely visible.

"Hello." She said cutely. "I'm Mariko. Of course you probably already knew that." Mariko had long blonde hair down to her waist with a blue ribbon to keep it out of her face. She wore a light pink short sleeved blouse with a dark blue buttoned up waistcoat over it and a light blue ribbon tied under the collar with a matching short light blue pleated skirt, lilac socks and light blue buckled shoes.

"I don't believe this." Aster muttered. "Another girl? That's four now."

"Hmph." Mariko sniffed, pouting.

"Aster, we should get out of here." Jaden hissed. Mariko gasped.

"Aster?" She repeated. "THE Aster? Yay!" Mariko jumped up into the air. "I've got the boy of the phoenix! I've got the boy of the phoenix!" She sang, dancing on the spot. Jaden and Aster sweat dropped.

"She's just a kid." Jaden muttered.

"What do you expect? She's twelve." Mariko stopped dancing and glared at Aster.

"I've been given orders of what to do with you, Aster. To kill you. By fair means if I could." The water in the pools around Mariko swirled into whirlpools. "But since you insulted me…" She grinned. "I'LL HAVE TO USE FOUL MEANS!" She shouted, water shooting out of the pools in water spouts.

"YIKES!" Jaden yelled. Mariko moved an arm towards Aster, and the water spouts all crashed into the path where Aster stood and twisted in a vortex around the spot. Mariko frowned.

"Is this it? This is boring." Mariko said.

_This is all a game to her._ Jaden thought. _Like pulling the wings off an insect._

"What the…" Mariko started. A hand poked out through the watery wall.

"Not bad, Mariko. But…" The hand rose up into the air, and the water immediately thinned, revealing Aster with an arm raised above his head. "You're not the only one who controls water."

"Yeah! Take her out!" Jaden cheered.

"You got lucky." Mariko glowed white and her body began to change shape. When the glowing stopped, she was in the form of Jaden. "Let's see what happens when I'm in the form of your friend." She said in Jaden's voice.

"EH?! That's me!" Jaden yelled. Mariko charged at Aster and aimed a punch at his face, but Aster ducked out of the way.

"It's useless avoiding me." Mariko taunted, aiming blows at Aster. After a lot of ducking and avoiding, Aster elbowed Mariko in her stomach.

"OURGH! Watch it!" Jaden groaned, clutching his stomach.

_Damn. If I harm Mariko, Jaden faces the effects. I forgot._ Aster thought.

"Don't let yourself get distracted." Mariko warned, kicking Aster on his shoulder. Aster stumbled backwards from the attack. "Heh. How pathetic. I was expecting a little more from the boy of the phoenix."

"What do you mean about boy of the phoenix?" Aster asked.

"I mean you're the boy of the phoenix." Mariko answered, exasperated. "Geez, Louise."

_I can't think of anything else. She can morph into Jaden easily, making it impossible for me to attack. And she can manipulate the environment as well. Hmmm…what to do…_ Aster thought. Aster's jacket pocket glowed yellow.

"Huh?" Aster reached inside and pulled out the silver phoenix he'd found earlier. It was glowing lightly. "You…you can help me?"

"Aster, stop talking to yourself." Jaden shouted.

"Can't you see there's something glowing?" Aster shouted back.

"All I can see is you staring at your hand."

"You can't see it?" Aster asked. The silver phoenix lifted out of Aster's hand.

"_Are you my new master?"_ It asked.

"EH?!" Aster exclaimed. "YOU CAN TALK?!"

"_I am a spirit of the phoenix. Unfortunately, you're unable to wield my full powers just yet. But, here's a mere small fraction of my power."_ The phoenix glowed yellow and turned into a sphere, floating in Aster's right hand.

"DIE!" Mariko yelled, jumping towards Aster.

"_Throw me, Master THROW ME!"_

"Ah! I don't know what's going on anymore." Aster panicked. "Aw, hell with it." Aster threw the sphere at Mariko. It hit her directly in the chest, and she collided at rocket speed into a wall, denting it with a huge crater. She slid down the wall and onto the floor, defeated.

"_I look forward to the day you are ready to use my full power, Master."_ The silver phoenix said, floating back into Aster's hand.

"Hey, call me Aster." The glowing stopped as the phoenix landed in his hand again.

"What just happened? I saw some meteor on Mariko, and then a floating ball. What's going on?" Jaden asked.

"Nothing." Aster answered, stuffing the phoenix back in his pocket. "Now, c'mon. Our friends need our help with Hiruko."

…

"Dammit! She just keeps coming!" Jesse exclaimed as he ran through the labyrinth, stopping occasionally to turn a corner. He looked over his shoulder. A white glowing was behind him, gradually getting closer and closer towards him. Jesse tripped on a small rock sticking out of the ground and fell onto the dusty floor. He scrambled back onto his feet and continued running.

"I'm coming to get you!" Mariko sang.

"Dang it!" Jesse muttered. He stopped running as he came across a dead end. "Er…um…right!" Jesse ran right and continued down the path, but still the light followed him. He stopped running.

"Wait. She's only following me because of my footprints." Jesse stepped backwards, careful to go into the footprints in the dust. "So…if I do this, then maybe I can lose her trail." Jesse stopped after several paces, and leapt to the right into anther corridor. He cleared away the footprints in the new corridor, turned left and carried on running. Seconds later, Mariko turned the corner, looking at the ground. She stopped as the footprints came to an end.

"Hmmm…this one's smart." She spotted a green hair on the dusty floor next to a spot with several handprints in it as if to cover something up and smiled. "But I'm smarter." She ran down the corridor. "You can't hide forever!" She shouted happily.

"Dammit! She saw through it." Jesse said, frustrated. "Things can't get any worse."

_Ba-bump!_

Jesse suddenly coughed up several drops of blood. He fell onto his knees, clutching his heart.

"No. I'm still injured from my fight with Catalina." Jesse groaned.

"Ready or not, here I come!" Mariko said playfully. Jesse stood up onto one knee struggling to breathe.

_C'mon, Jesse._ He thought. _Get moving_. He looked up weakly, and saw the white light visible around the corner. With all of his effort, Jesse stood up shakily onto his feet. By the time he had straightened, Mariko turned the corner, holding an axe. She spotted Jesse, hand over his heart and gasping for breath, and smiled.

"I heard about your fight with Catalina." She said. "Looks like this will be easier than I thought."

THWAK!

Mariko's eyes widened. She fell onto the floor and disappeared in a puff of smoke. Meno stood behind her, arm raised.

"A whack on the back of the neck. Works every time."

"Thanks Meno. I owe ya one." Jesse gasped. He stumbled and was about to fall until Meno grabbed his arm and flung it over her shoulders.

"Let's go. I heard that Aster and Jaden are okay. All that's left to deal with is Hiruko."

…

"You're not going anywhere." Hiruko said.

"What're we gonna do?" Syrus panicked.

"Show yourself." Kai demanded. Silence followed for a few seconds. The icy walls began to pulse like water and a figure stepped out of it.

"Hiruko the shape shifter at your service." He said. Hiruko had short blonde messy hair and blue eyes. He wore a short sleeved orange hoodie with a green long sleeved top underneath it, blue trousers that cut off near ankle length, with white socks and orange and blue trainers.

"Are you sure he's our enemy?" Daisy asked James. "He looks like a kid to me."

"Who're you callin' a kid?!" Hiruko snapped. He waved his arms in the air and stomped his feet. "I may be short but I'm evil! I reek of evil!"

"Shut up!" Daisy exclaimed, throwing three picks in his direction, and pinning him to the wall by his sleeve.

"Whoa. You're pretty good." He smirked. "For a girl." Suddenly, he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Aw, no fair." Hassleberry whined.

_Scuff! Stomp! Crack! Stomp!_

"Haru, what on earth are you doing?" Syrus asked.

"Making things easier." Haru answered, stomping on the ice.

"Looks like you've lost it to me." Hassleberry said.

"I know what he's doing!" Kai exclaimed. Haru stomped on the ice once more, and part of it gave way, revealing a stone floor below them. A pole rose from the crack and Haru grabbed it.

"I see." Daisy said. "You were just trying to get rid of the ice to get at the stone floor."

"Now to destroy that secret weapon." Haru said, spinning the pole at a fast speed in his hand. He slammed on end into the ground. Silence. Gradually, the icy walls and floor began to crack, until they smashed completely. Hiruko fell out of a shard of ice onto the floor. He looked up and saw Haru pull his pole out of the ground.

_Him… _Hiruko thought.

"Close your eyes." Haru told everyone. He slammed his pole in the ground again, and a huge cloud of dust spread out around it.

"It's no use." Hiruko said, spotting a shadow in the cloud. He picked up a sharp shard of ice. "I can see right through it." He yelled, throwing the blade at the shadow. It pinned it straight to the wall, clearing the fog around it. Hiruko's eyes widened.

"The empty cicada." He muttered. The ice blade had pinned to the wall a long sleeved checked shirt.

"GOTCHA!" Daisy yelled, punching Hiruko across the face.

"Ow!" Hiruko whined. "That's not fair." The fog cleared, and Haru stood in the middle with the others in a white t-shirt. "That does it!" Hiruko shouted. His body glowed, and many copies of him appeared around the group.

"Eat this!" All the clones yelled.

"I've got 'em." Syrus said, activating his sword. He sliced through the clones with the sword as they ran closer to them but they all disappeared into smoke as Syrus' sword came in contact with them. Within seconds, all of the clones were gone, and Hiruko was nowhere to be seen.

"Boy, he's slippery. He's gone." Syrus looked around the room. The only thing in sight was the ice shards melting.

"Are you blind? He's right there."

"That voice…" Daisy whispered. A blue energy field collided into the wall.

"OOF!" Hiruko grunted, visible to everyone.

"Aster!" Daisy cheered. By the doorway was Aster and Jaden. Next to them, Meno had Jesse's arm around her shoulders.

"Hi guys!" Jaden yelled. "Did we miss anything?"

"You're just in time for the best part." Hassleberry said. Hiruko smirked. His body began to glow white.

"He's about to do something. I've got him." Daisy proclaimed. She pulled out three small knives from her bag and dashed to Hiruko. "Hold it right there, brat!" She yelled, slicing her knives through Hiruko.

"Whoops!" Hiruko sang.

"Huh?" Daisy started

"Argh!"

"Syrus!" Jaden yelled. Daisy spun around. Syrus had fallen onto one knee with his hand over his chest. There were three claw marks under his jacket and though the cuts were thin, blood was leaking out.

"Are you okay?" Jaden asked frantically.

"I don't feel too good." Syrus moaned.

"Oh my god. I'm so sorry Syrus. I didn't…" Daisy apologised. Mariko emerged around the corner and smirked after seeing Syrus.

"Good job, Hiruko." Mariko said, joining her brother by his side.

"It wasn't me, it was her." He said, pointing at Daisy.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, burying her face in her hands. Aster pulled Daisy into a hug.

"Don't worry. Syrus is going to be okay." Meno kneeled down beside Syrus and her hand glowed pink as she healed him. "See?"

"But I nearly killed him. I'm so careless."

"That should do it." Meno said. "I've sealed the wound up. I can't replace lost blood, but you haven't lost too much. You should be fine."

"I'm getting cold again." Syrus shivered.

"What now?" Hassleberry moaned.

"It's her." Hiruko said.

"It's her." Mariko said.

"Who?" Jaden wondered. Frost began to twist together in front of the two twins like a hurricane. "Don't tell me…" The frost stopped twisting, and Nevara appeared in the room. "Nevara!"

"Nevara?" James repeated.

"Is this the Nevara you've been talking about Haru?" Hassleberry asked. Haru nodded.

"My older sister." Nevara scanned the crowd. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"You surprise me, Hiruko." She said. Hiruko blinked in surprise.

"Who me?" He asked, pointing at himself.

"Yes." Nevara nodded. "It's the same to you, Mariko. Did you two forget the mission we were doing?" She looked at the gang again. "I ordered you to kill Haru."

"What?!" Jaden exclaimed. Haru took a step backwards in shock.

_I don't believe it._ Haru thought. _I was their target all along?_

"Oh, great!" Hiruko groaned. "You show up and wanna lecture us?" He linked his hands behind his head. "Hey, it was an honest mistake."

"Hiruko, you shouldn't talk to her like that." Mariko hissed.

"All I want to know is why you didn't follow orders."

"Well, if I kill him now the fun won't last." Hiruko said cheerfully. "Besides, I hurt that blue haired boy."

"So Syrus was harmed." Nevara said to herself. She smiled. "That's okay. That boy was garbage anyway."

"SAY THAT AGAIN AND YOU'RE DEAD, BITCH!" Aster yelled.

"Aster!" Kai said. "Calm down! Can't you see she's goading you?! Look at Haru!" Aster turned sharply to Haru. Haru stared at Nevara calmly.

"_You're right. Everything is pointless, if you don't believe in yourself."_

"_Know I'll always be with you."_

"_Never stop believing in yourself, and you'll be able to beat anyone."_

"_Always know that I love you Haru…little brother."_

"Nevara…" Haru started. "I'm upset about the fact you've turned to the wrong side for all these years. It hurts me even more knowing you've killed every single stone wielder and all those with the power in their blood. Anybody would have gone mad knowing that information, and they would probably sink into depression after knowing their own sister wants them dead." Haru clenched his pole tightly. "But I won't do that. I'm going to stay strong and find out why this has happened. I want to know if the real Nevara still exists. That's why I'm still standing." He pointed at Nevara. "And you're going to answer me."

"Hmph." Nevara sniffed.

"See? He's able to keep a cool head. You have too many hot heads in your group." Kai said. Aster glared at Kai.

"There is another reason why I kept Haru alive, y'know." Hiruko said. "It seems you have the most respect for Haru. That really interests me."

"Time to go home." Nevara said, and the three of them disappeared.

"Oh-kay. Who's fighting next?" Melody asked cheerfully. "Is it my turn?"

"I wanna fight!" Hassleberry yelled.

"Don't get cocky dino boy. You've already fought twice." Chloe snapped.

"No, let me!" Jaden yelled, jumping up and down in the air.

"I wanna go!" Daisy shouted.

"I've already fought four girls, so count me out!" Aster pointed out.

"Me next! Me next!" Meno said, excited.

"Where did the sombre mood go?" James muttered, sweat dropping. As the gang squabbled over whom was going to fight next, Haru stared at the spot where Nevara had previously stood.

_I'm keeping my word, sister. _Haru thought._ I will have the answers I am looking for._

**Whew! That was one hell of a chapter! Well, er, let me know what you think and I'll get the next chappie up ASAP for all my lovely readers. See ya then!**


	9. Chapter 9: Hannah's Day Out

**Stupid cruddy computer virus stopping me from getting on the stupid cruddy internet. I had to get chapter eight up on my mum's computer! Thank god she was out that night; otherwise she wouldn't have let me. She'd just tell me to wait and OH HELLO EVERYONE! Sorry about that, I was just having a little rant to myself! Here's chapter nine!**

Chapter 9

Hannah's Day Out

"Whew! Thank god those shape shifters are gone." Aster sighed. "They were a hell of a lot of trouble."

"Well look at it this way." Hassleberry said. "At least we didn't fight them in a house of mirrors or wax museum. Or worse still, a department store."

"Hmmm…true."

"Grrr. C'mon." Haru growled, trying to pull an ice blade out of the wall to free his shirt.

"Need some help?" Aster asked, effortlessly melting the ice.

"Er…thanks." Haru muttered.

"Are you sure you're coping alright, private?" Hassleberry glanced at Haru's right arm. There was a small circular mark the size of a penny, with a line going down the middle of it that was a few inches long. "What's that?" Hassleberry asked, pointing at the mark. "Is it a scar?" Haru pulled his checked shirt over it.

"It's nothing." Haru said quickly, and walked into his room briskly.

"What was that all about?" Hassleberry wondered.

"Beats me." Aster shrugged. "I'm going out for a bit." Aster began to walk away.

"Wait a minute, private." Aster stopped walking. "Have you managed to have contact with female Phoenix somehow yet? I mean, she has been missing for a while now. Aren't you worried about her?" Aster smiled.

"Yeah but…I think she's going to be okay. After all, she's not the type to loose her cool easily."

…

"Cheap lying no good rotten…" Hannah yelled, pacing backwards and forwards in circles in the forest. "Far fetching lowlifes snake licking dirt eating inbred overstuffed. Ignorant blood…" She kicked a tree. "Sucking dog kissing brainless sickless hopeless heartless fat assed bug eyed stick legged saps, with a huge sack of monkey crap!" She sighed.

"Alright. Calm down Hannah." She said to herself. "You've got to find your way home and deliver that message from Auntie Miranda." She kicked the tree again. "But I don't even know what Aster looks like. I'm glad I can see and everything, but couldn't she have told me what he looked like at least?!" She looked to her right. Hannah spotted tall buildings and cars zooming in and out of them.

"Is that a city?" Hannah wondered. She walked out of the trees, and found herself in a small market, with people bustling to different stalls.

"Wow." Hannah breathed, wandering through the crowd, staring in wonder at the buildings. "I never knew that the air was going past something like this." Suddenly, a stranger ran into her.

"Hey! Watch it!" Hannah yelled.

"Sorry." The stranger muttered.

"Then again, some of these people are so rude." A piece of paper blew into her face. "What the…" Hannah pulled the piece of paper away from her face and looked at it. In her eyes, all she could see was scribbles and a picture of a young boy.

"Excuse me…" Hannah asked a man behind a stall selling magazines. "Can you tell me what this says?"

"What, you can't read?"

"No."

"Fine." The man took the dirty poster from Hannah's hands and skimmed the writing. "Oh, don't bother with this, kid. It's an old poster from a year ago."

"But what does it say, goddammit?" Hannah asked, getting impatient.

"Hey hey, calm down. It's that pro duellist Aster. Aster Phoenix."

"Aster Phoenix?" Hannah repeated. She beamed. "I know him! He's my cousin!" She pulled the poster out of the man's hands and looked at the picture. "So this is what he looks like."

"You mean you don't know him?"

"Of course I know him!" Hannah snapped. "I'm er…I'm just a little forgetful." She lied.

"Suit yourself." The man shrugged. "Now you gonna buy something or what?"

"Now who's forgetful? I can't read. Thanks." Hannah walked off down the market and into the crowds.

"What in the world?!" The man exclaimed. He spotted Aster walking through the crowds. "Hey, you! The kid with silver hair." Aster stopped walking.

"Eh? Me?" Aster asked.

"Yeah, you. Come here." Aster shrugged and walked up to the stall.

"What is it?"

"There was this kid just now asking me to read an old poster about you because she couldn't read."

"Yeah…so? It probably just another fan girl."

"But the thing is…she said she was your cousin." Aster's eyes widened.

"My cousin?" He gasped. "Hannah! Which way did she go?"

"That way." The man answered, pointing to his left. "But I-" Before he could finish his sentence, Aster dashed off with a hurried "Thanks!"

"What a day." The man sighed.

…

"Okay, I checked that building there, and that one there. And Aster isn't around anywhere." Hannah sighed and slumped into a park bench. "I should have asked where he lived. That would make things so much easier."

"Are you lost little girl?" A woman with a Dalmatian puppy on a leash asked.

"Yeah, I'm looking for this guy. He's my cousin. Have you seen him anywhere?" Hannah showed her the poster.

"No I'm afraid not."

"Does anyone know where he lives?"

"No. That information is classified, so even a huge Aster fan like I won't know."

"Okay. Thanks anyway." Hannah muttered, standing up and walking down the path. Just as the woman was about to leave, Aster ran into the park.

"Excuse me; have you seen a girl anywhere?" Aster gasped. "She's fourteen years old, red hair and dress…"

"She went that way. She was asking about you." The woman said, pointing down the path.

"Thanks." Aster ran down the path, with the woman staring after him in disbelief.

"What's going on?" She wondered.

…

"Man, this sucks." Hannah groaned, sitting on a swing and, with her feet on the ground, rocking backwards and forwards with her hands on the cold and rusty chains holding the swing up. "I can't find Aster anywhere. Why are city's so big?" Hannah suddenly heard footsteps dashing across the grass. She peered over her shoulder. A young teenager with short silver hair and white formalwear was leaning on a tree gasping for breath.

_Who's he? _Hannah thought. She slipped off the swing and hid in a tree nearby.

"Damn. I've looked for her everywhere." Aster's fingers intertwined with his hair. "C'mon. Think. Where could she be?"

"Are you looking for someone?" Hannah asked, still hidden in the trees. "Me too."

"Really?" Aster looked around for the voice, and spotted a shadow of a girl hidden in the trees. "Why are you over there?"

"I'm er…I'm shy." Hannah said nervously. "Who are you looking for?"

"A family member. She's gone missing for a while, and I'm really worried about her. What about you?"

"I'm looking for someone in my family as well. I'm very, er, forgetful, so I don't know what he looks like."

_This girl's looking for someone in her family?_ Aster thought.

_This boy's looking for someone in his family?_ Hannah thought.

_It's a huge coincidence we're looking for a relative._ Both of them thought. Both their eyes widened. _Unless…_

"Hannah?" Aster said.

"Aster?" Hannah said. Hannah slowly stepped out of the trees and stared at her cousin for the first time. Aster walked up to Hannah, unable to believe what was happening. "Stop staring at me like that. You're freaking me out."

"It's really you!" Aster cried, dropping down onto his knees and hugging a surprised Hannah around her shoulders.

"Er…Aster?" Hannah started. She suddenly felt something drip onto her shoulder. "Hey! Are you crying? Cut it out! You're a guy, and guys aren't supposed to cry." Hannah felt her eyes sting. "Besides…if you cry then I…" Hannah wrapped her hands around Aster and began to cry. After a few minutes, Aster pulled away.

"I really thought I'd lost you." Aster said.

"I told you I was going to be okay." Hannah taunted with a smirk.

"But how did you escape?"

"Well…your mum kinda let me escape before I died. I saw it coming because I can see into the future, so that's why I told you in that dream. So, yeah, your mom helped me escape."

"Mom did?"

"She did, and she didn't. It was her good half. Your real mom."

"What do you mean?"

"I dunno." Hannah shrugged. "She kept saying stuff about an evil her that tried to kill you when you were five, and how she had to speak with me briefly before "it" takes over."

"This is getting confusing."

"Oh yeah! And she, the good part, wanted me to give you a message."

"A message? What is it?" Aster asked.

"She told me to tell you that your mother still exists and that she loves you with all her heart. Pretty sappy if you ask me." Aster stood up and placed his hand on a tree, staring up at the sky. "Aster?"

"Mom." Aster whispered. His fingertips automatically touched the locket around his neck.

"What's that poster say?" Hannah asked, pointing at a poster on the ground. She picked it up and squinted at the writing. "Par…ty…place?"

"You can read?" Aster asked, snapping out of his trance.

"Sort of." Hannah answered. "While I escaped, your mom gave me my sight back, so I'm not blind anymore. Now then…sale…on…ball…ons…no wait, its oons. Ah ha! Sale on balloons!"

_I knew it._ Aster thought._ Mom really is still there._

"Aw, screw it!" Hannah said, scrunching the poster up into a ball and throwing it in a bin. "Hey, what's that?" Hannah pointed outside the entrance of the park. On the other side of the road was a large metal arc decorated with golden silhouettes of animals.

"That's the zoo. I used to go there a lot when I was a kid."

"What's a zoo?" Hannah asked.

"It has all sorts of animals inside, and people look at them for fun." Aster looked down at Hannah with a smile. "Do you want to see what they look like?"

"What's so special about looking at animals?"

…

"WOW!" Hannah squeaked, her eyes shining with excitement. "What is that thing?" Hannah was staring through metal railings at a male lion. "It's so furry. How did it get so furry?! That's amazing!" The lion gave a huge roar. "WOW!" Hannah exclaimed, throwing her arms up in the air. She beamed at the lion, her face slightly flushed from the excitement. She glanced over her shoulder at Aster, and quickly regained her composure.

"Er…it's not like I'm enjoying myself or anything. It just caught me be surprise and…WOW!" Hannah stopped in mid sentence and ran to another cage holding a giraffe. "Look at that neck! How did it get such a long neck?! I've never seen anything like it!" Aster stared at Hannah, amazed.

_I've never seen anyone get so excited over a bunch of animals like this._ Aster thought. Hannah dashed to another cage, this time holding an elephant.

"WOW! It's so big! When did it get so big?" She yelled, beaming. Hannah heard footsteps behind her. She turned to her right, and Aster stood behind her, holding a red Slusho drink.

"I thought you might be thirsty so I bought you this. Hope you like cherry because they're out of blueberry."

"Er…thanks." Hannah said, taking the drink from Aster's hand. She glanced at the red ice and pulled out the straw. It had a spade shape at the end with some of the red ice on it. Curious, Hannah tasted it.

"Yummy!" She said happily. "But it's cold." Aster laughed.

"Of course it is. It's made from ice."

"Ice?" Hannah repeated. "I've heard everyone say you fight with this stuff. So ice is red?"

"Well it can be but it's er…oh damn how do I put this? Um…look. See those penguins over there?" Aster pointed at another cage, holding many penguins swimming or standing on a large glacier. "That big thing there is ice. That's its real colour."

"Oh… so how did it get red?"

"You're curious aren't ya?"

"Aw, who cares?! It's so damn tasty!" Hannah exclaimed, slurping out of the cup.

"Careful, Hannah. If you drink it too quickly you'll…"

"Ow!" Hannah moaned, placing a hand on her head.

"You'll get a headache." Aster finished, laughing.

"Mmm…that was tasty." Hannah sighed, throwing the cup in the bin. "Thanks, Aster. Phew, it sure is hot today. Is there anything to cool people down?"

"Well…" Aster started.

…

"Wow!" Hannah breathed, kicking her red pumps off her feet and stepping into cool shallow water. The two siblings were by a spring deep in the woods, with a small waterfall flowing into the water, and pebbles by the shore. "This water is so cold. I love it!"

"Hey, Hannah!" Aster yelled. Hannah turned around, only to be met with a splash of water. "You've got something on your face." Aster burst out laughing at his prank. Suddenly, he was shoved by Hannah into the water.

"Ha ha. Looks like you're the one who needs a bath now." Hannah said.

"You little…" Aster started, grabbing Hannah's ankle and pulling her into the water, standing up. "That was payback."

"You started it!" Hannah protested, kicking water into Aster's face and standing up again.

"Alright, that does it!" Aster splashed Hannah with another wave.

"Is that a competition? You're on!" Hannah avoided the wave and kicked water in his direction.

"Damn you got me!"

"Get ready for the next one!"

"Ow! That one had a pebble in it!"

"Sorry. Hey, no water manipulating! That's cheating!"

Ten minutes later

"I think we got a bit carried away." Aster said, squeezing water out of his hair.

"No problem. I'll dry us off." The ground around Hannah's feet began to twist around her, until a miniature gust of air surrounded the two of them, and it disappeared just as quickly as it came.

"Hannah, what're you doing?! I know it was to get us dry and all, but someone could've seen!" Aster panicked.

"But nobody did see." Hannah said calmly. "Look around. There's nobody in this entire park. I felt the air before I did it, and nobody was around. Therefore, it was safe to use my powers."

"Yeah, but-" Aster started.

"Aster, stop worrying so much. I know nobody was here."

"Alright, but if I'm in the newspapers for a reason that's nothing to do with my career, I'll skin you alive."

…

"Seriously?!" Hannah exclaimed, walking through the park with Aster.

"Yup. Right after I made a direct attack, she began worrying about whether her hair was frizzy or not. I couldn't believe it myself."

"I don't know why people are so fussed about appearances. Most people are looking down when they walk anyway, so nobody sees you." The two siblings began to cross a bridge over a lake, with a group of three girls coming in the opposite direction. "In my opinion, if people spent less time on what they looked like, we'd get so much more done."

"Hey, nice hair." said one of the girls, who had short brown hair.

"Thanks." Hannah responded. A girl with shoulder length blonde hair smirked.

"For a sheepdog." She sneered. The three girls giggled wickedly. Hannah stopped walking and looked down at the wooden floorboards of the bridge.

"Hannah, just ignore them." Aster whispered.

"I think she looks cute." said the other girl, who had her black hair in a bun. "Like the time we put a sweater on your poodle, Bridget." She told the girl with brown hair. The three girls giggled again.

"Good one, Alexia." Bridget laughed. Hannah said nothing in response to the girl's snide comments.

"Let's just go." Aster said.

"No no. That WAS a good one." Hannah started.

"Huh?" Hannah turned around to face the girls.

"Like your poodle." Hannah repeated, bursting out laughing. The three girls looked at each other, confused. Hannah stopped laughing and glared at them. "You know what else is a good one?" Suddenly, a small tornado whisked the girls off their feet, and the girls fell screaming into the lake. Aster laughed and stared down at the soaked girls.

"Now that was funny!" He laughed. Aster waved an arm to his left, and the girls were carried away down the lake by a giant wave. "You were right, Hannah. I shouldn't be worried about using my powers outside the house. Hopefully they won't come after us." Hannah clung to the wooden railings of the bridge, staring down into the water. "Er...Hannah?" Hannah still didn't say anything. "If you're worried about what those girls said, they don't know what they're talking about."

"It's okay." Hannah said. "When I was blind, one of the best parts was that I didn't have to worry about clothes or hair or other stuff like that. I had a good reason for that." Hannah kicked a small pebble into the water and watched the ripples travel across the water. "I don't care what I look like. I'm not trying to impress anyone." She closed her eyes tightly. "I know who I am."

"Well, I think you're pretty." Aster joined Hannah by the railings. "If you don't believe me, look in your reflection."

"Re…flection?"

"Look in the water." Hannah stared down into the lake. "What do you see?"

"I see…you. And there's someone else next to you. Is it a bit of seaweed? If it is it's a very pretty bit of seaweed." Hannah looked closely at the water. "Clear skin…nice hair…pretty face…"

"Don't you see Hannah? That girl there is you. You're that pretty bit of seaweed."

"It is?" Hannah asked. Aster nodded. "Wow. So a reflection is looking at yourself."

"Looks like you've got a lot to learn about the world."

"Hey, Aster." Hannah began, looking into Aster's blue eyes. "This may sound weird, but today…was the best day of my life."

"Er…um…" Aster stuttered. "Thanks?"

"I'm really serious." Hannah took a hold of Aster's hand. "All my life, you've helped me to see things that were impossible to see, but today you've really outdone yourself. You've shown me all sorts of wonderful things, and there's so many more to come. To be honest, I don't think there's such a thing as a cousin as sweet as you."

"Er…wow. I wasn't expecting that." Aster glanced at the park clock. It read five o'clock in the afternoon. "Blimey, is that the time?!" Aster exclaimed. "We've gotta get home."

"Home." Hannah whispered.

…

"Dad. Dad! I've got something amazing to show you! You'll never guess who I found!" Aster yelled, running into the living room.

"What is it?" James asked, looking up from a newspaper on the sofa. Hannah walked into the room nervously.

"Aster, this is awkward." Hannah whined. "This is the first time I'm actually seeing him."

"Relax, it'll be fine." Aster reassured.

"Hannah…" James started, standing up. "You're okay."

"What's that thing you're holding?" Hannah asked, peering at the front cover. "They're running elections AGAIN?!"

"You can read?"

"Yeah, that's another thing. On her way back here, Hannah got her sight back."

"Really? Hannah's back?" Meno asked, walking through the bookcase.

"Who're you?" Hannah asked.

"I'm Meno. Remember? Oh yeah, you're blind aren't you."

"Not any more I'm not." Hannah said cheerfully.

"Then you've got to see something amazing. C'mon, Ill show you." Meno grabbed Hannah's hand and ran out of the door.

"She's probably taking Hannah to the roof." James said. "Ever since Syrus showed her, she's been going there ever since."

"But the weird part about Hannah coming back is regaining her sight. Mom did it."

"Miranda did?" Aster nodded.

"Huh?" Aster looked around the room, confused.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm having that weird feeling again." Aster answered. "But I don't feel dizzy."

"Can you feel who it is?" James asked.

"Yeah…I think its Magdala."

…

Magdala walked out of the front door of her flat, wearing her usual outfit.

"_Feeling better?"_

"Momma?" Magdala asked. "Where are you?"

"_I'm inside you. How are you feeling?"_

"A lot better thanks to you, momma." Magdala answered. "Hey, momma?"

"_What is it?"_

"Would it be okay to kill that blue haired girl?"

"_Yes. She's the one committing the murders, so she's a threat to momma. You have my permission to destroy her."_

"Thank you momma." Magdala said cheerfully, and she dashed up the stairs.

…

"I knew it!" Aster growled. "Magdala was here. I should have finished her off while I had the chance."

"You were doing the right thing, Aster."

"By sparing her because she was my sister?! No way! I thought you would say something like her being family and that she should be kept alive, right?"

"How did you know?"

"Dad, you know I can read minds." Aster muttered. "But this time, I'm gonna pound the living crap out of her!"

"No."

"Huh? What do you mean no?" Aster asked.

"I've just had what you'd call an epiphany. You shouldn't finish her off." James looked ahead at the front door. "I should." Aster's eyes widened.

"You? But why? I don't get it." Aster asked. "Why do you want to kill your own daughter?"

"Because she is no daughter of mine." James muttered.

"That doesn't make any sense." Aster protested. Aster suddenly turned to the door, shocked.

"What is it?" James asked.

"It's Magdala. She's moving. She's going upstairs." Aster gasped. "The roof! Hannah and Meno are up there!"

…

"So this is what the city looks like from up here?" Hannah asked.

"Yes. Beautiful, isn't it."

"Very." Hannah agreed.

"Syrus showed me this view a while ago, and I love it."

"I can see why. What's that say?" Hannah pointed at a giant billboard. Meno shielded her eyes to see the board properly.

"I don't know. It's too far away, but I think its advertising a car, no it's just changed to an Ikea advert."

"A changing billboard?" Meno nodded. "This place…is weird." Hannah muttered. Meno burst out laughing. Hannah looked behind her.

"What's wrong?" Meno asked.

"Someone's coming." Hannah stared at the metal doorframe several metres away from them leading to downstairs. "It's coming from over there.

_BAM! BAM! BAM!_

"Something's trying to get in." Meno whimpered. The two girls watched as the door handle rapidly moved up and down, until suddenly it stopped.

"Phew." Hannah sighed.

CRASH!

The doorframe was suddenly smashed into a shower of metal and bolts, and was replaced by a white vortex.

"What is that?" Hannah wondered. The vortex stopped twisting, showing twenty axes made from hair, and Magdala in the middle of them, smirking.

"Magdala!" Meno yelled.

"Who?" Hannah asked.

"You." Magdala pointed at Meno. "Come forward." Meno stepped forward hesitantly. "You've killed a lot of people, haven't you?" She glanced at Hannah. "What're you doing here?"

"I should be asking you the same question!" Hannah snapped. "Didn't you ever learn not to break down doors and kill people?!"

"Oh yeah, I remember you. You're big brother's hot tempered cousin, right?"

"Grrr, I'LL SHOW YOU HOT TEMPERED!" Hannah yelled. "Wait, did you call my cousin big brother?"

"Yes." Magdala nodded. "And I'm not here for you. I'm here to kill this girl here." Magdala's axes morphed into twenty hands, and they floated in front of Meno, some even wrapping around Meno with a few inches gap between her and the arms. "You're a threat to momma. You must die."

"Leave her alone!" Hannah shot fire darts out of her fingers, slicing through the arms, and the rest of Magdala's hair that didn't get cut fell down onto the floor. Hannah ran to Meno's side.

"You okay?" Hannah asked.

"Get out of here. Run!" Meno said.

"I know you weren't there when I fought big brother. So I'll say it again." Hannah raised an eyebrow. Magdala glared at the two girls angrily, her hair lifting up. "Nobody can kill me!" She yelled, her hair morphing into the twenty axes once again. They whooshed towards Hannah, but just as they were inches away from her, Meno shoved her out of the way, and a huge dust cloud hid the rooftop. When the dust cleared seconds later, Meno was lying against an air conditioning unit, her clothes and face dirty, with Hannah ducked behind it and staring at Magdala. Magdala giggled as her hair returned to its original length.

"So this is the big scary Meno everybody was so afraid of?" Magdala frowned. "How boring. I was hoping to have some fun." Magdala shrugged. "Oh well." She said cheerfully. "I'll just finish you off now."

"Magdala!"

"That voice…" Magdala whispered. She glanced at the spot where the doorway used to be. Aster and James stood next to it. "Big brother." Aster glared at Magdala. She spotted James standing next to him.

"Who're you?" Magdala asked quietly.

**WOW! I am getting SOOOOOOOOOOOO good at cliff-hangers. Well, er, Hannah's back! And if you want to see what happens next, then stay tuned, and pretty please review and whatever else you do. Damn, I've got mock GCSE's for the next couple weeks, so if it takes w while for the next chapter, that's my excuse. Bye bye for now. See you guys later!**


	10. Chapter 10: Trapped

**HIYO! Just in case you don't know, that's my way of saying hello. I'm kinda running out of things to say in author notes. But no matter what happens, they'll always end with enjoy this next chapter!**

Chapter 10

Trapped

"Who're you?" Magdala asked quietly. The glow of the setting sun illuminated over everybody. Meno looked up and saw James and Aster.

"Aster, go get the girls." James whispered. Aster nodded. He ran over to the vent Meno was up against and helped her stand up again.

"James, get outta here, or you'll get killed" Hannah yelled. Magdala gasped.

"Did you say James?" Magdala asked. She turned back to James, her eyes shining. "You're my daddy?"

"Magdala…" James muttered. Magdala smiled.

"Oh, daddy." She whispered.

"Come on, we're getting you two outta here." Aster said, joining James by his side again with the two girls.

"Uh, I think we've got a bit of a problem right now." Hannah said. "Look at Magdala."

"She knows that I'm her father." James said. Magdala slowly began to walk towards James, smiling.

"Daddy…I've been hoping to meet you." She said.

"Are you really sure you want to do this?" Aster asked James.

"Do what?" Meno asked. James reached behind him in his back pocket for an object hidden by shadows. He clutched it.

"I'm sorry." James apologised. Magdala stopped walking, surprised. Suddenly, James pulled out a small handgun and pointed it at Magdala.

"Huh?" Magdala said. Aster turned away. An eerie silence enveloped all of them, until Magdala fell onto her knees. She stared at James, tears slowly leaking from her blue eyes. She smiled sadly.

"All this time…" She started. "That I was being made in that giant tube…I was looking forward to the day I'd see you." She sniffed and closed her eyes tightly to control herself, before she opened them again. "You would say…wake up…" Hannah clutched the edge of her dress. "I'd open my eyes…and there you'd be…with momma…waiting to take me home, so we could be together forever. We would be a proper family… and everyday…you and momma would say… "Magdala, we love you so much."" Tears welled up in Meno's eyes, and Aster bit his knuckle like Daisy usually would. "And now… we meet, just like in my dreams. But how could you do this? How could you?" Magdala squeezed her eyes shut. "You were supposed to take care of me!" She wailed. James lowered the gun hesitantly as Magdala sobbed and sniffed.

"It's my fault." James said. "Aster had the perfect opportunity to finish you. But he kept you alive because he knew you were my daughter." He held the gun back up to Magdala. "I have no right to be so selfish."

"But why are you doing this when you knew all I did was dream of meeting you how could you daddy?" Magdala sobbed. James hesitated for a few seconds.

"My son." James answered.

"Wha…" Aster whispered, looking back up at James.

"My son." James repeated. "He resurrected me from the dead without even realising it. I missed out on all the years of him growing up. I didn't even see him go to his first ever day of school. I'm proud of who he is. And yet, I had so many regrets as a spirit. I want to catch up with what I missed out. When our house was burgled on the night I disappeared, I thought of Aster and his safety. I will protect him with everything I can because I love him."

_Dad…_ Aster thought, his eyes shining._ You're doing all this for me?_

"That's no excuse!" Magdala snapped, tears still falling down her face. "I'm your daughter, and yet you want to kill me because of big brother?!" Magdala looked down at her skirt. "I thought you loved me."

"This is dangerous." Magdala looked up with a gasp. Meno was tugging on James' arm; the one that wasn't holding the gun. "Papa, we should get out of here."

"Papa?" Magdala whimpered. "Why's she allowed to call you papa? She isn't your daughter. How can you abandon your own daughter and let another one grow up?" She glared at James with murderous intent. "How could you?" Part of her hair morphed into an arm and it sped towards Meno.

"Ah!" Meno gasped as it grappled her around her neck.

"Meno!" Aster yelled. Meno lifted off the ground and the arm slammed her into the same air conditioning unit near Magdala, her hands holding onto the arm.

"Papa, run…" Meno choked as the hand tightened its grip around her neck. Magdala smirked, wiping her face dry with her arm whilst standing up.

"Now then, I've got to finish momma's wish." Two more sections of hair sped towards James, Aster and Hannah. One wrapped around Aster, pinning his arms to his side, and he also lifted off the ground and hovered next to Magdala in the air. The other section morphed into another arm and grabbed Hannah by the back of her shirt, hoisting her off the ground and dangling her near the edge of the building.

"Ah! I don't wanna die!" Hannah yelled, trying to get herself free from the hair.

"Stop squirming or you will die!" Aster yelled. James stared at the three children, horrified.

"Hey, daddy…" Magdala started. James turned back to Magdala sharply, his gun still pointed towards her. "Would you be sad if one of them died?" Magdala asked. James' eyes widened. "If you don't know, I'll try it so we can find out." Two more arms whooshed towards Meno, hesitated then one by one they both simultaneously started punching her.

"Leave her alone!" Aster yelled. "She didn't do anything to you! Gah!" The hair around Aster tightened.

"Be quiet!" Magdala spat.

"Ah, I've got a new fear now! Heights!" Hannah yelled.

"It…hurts…" Meno whispered between punches. James hesitated.

"You still won't do anything?" Magdala questioned. "Then they'll suffer more, especially big brother." Magdala snapped her fingers. The hair around Aster tightened even more. "If only you didn't try to kill me, then these three wouldn't be about to die." Magdala sighed. "Big brother and that girl with blue hair are such a pain." Suddenly, the three sections of hair near Meno returned to Magdala to their original length. "Huh?"

"We're a pain?!" Meno muttered, standing up.

_I've got a bad feeling about this._ Hannah thought. Meno looked up, her face battered and dirtied.

"That's not pain." Her body began to glow pink. "I'LL SHOW YOU WHAT PAIN IS!" As she yelled, pink fire surrounded her body. The flames licked at the hair, immediately severing it and freeing Aster. Before he touched the ground, his phoenix wings activated and he flew to Hannah.

"Aster! You…you're flying!" Hannah exclaimed.

"Yeah, whoop dee do." Aster said quickly. "Hold on!" A pink whip cut the hair holding Hannah, who clung to Aster as he glided back onto the building and landed onto the ground again. The pink fire surrounding Meno suddenly burst out into a huge pink mushroom cloud on top of the building. James ducked behind a vent to shield himself, Hannah conjured an orange shield to protect her and her cousin and Magdala screamed loudly in the blast. When the cloud finally cleared, Magdala lay on the ground unconscious, her hair now shoulder length and burnt on the ends, and Meno stared angrily at her. She looked at Aster.

"That felt good." She muttered.

"Good?! That was amazing?!" Aster exclaimed. Suddenly, Aster fell onto one knee, coughing with one hand over his mouth.

"Aster, are you okay?" Hannah asked. "What's that red stuff on your hand?"

"Blood!" Meno squealed.

"Aster!" James yelled, running towards Aster, dropping his gun in the process. Magdala sat up weakly and stared at the four of them.

_Why?_ Magdala thought. _Why are they helping him?_

"Are you alright?" James asked.

"I think so…" Aster gasped, wiping away the blood. "It's just a minor injury."

_But momma's wishes are more important…_ Magdala stood up.

"BIG BROTHER MUST DIE!" Magdala screamed, her hair morphing into a giant axe that whooshed towards the group.

"Look out!" Hannah yelled.

_Slish!_

"AAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!"

…

Karen lounged on a sofa, reading a book back at her home.

_I wonder how Hannah is…_ Karen thought. Suddenly, she heard something crack. She looked up from her book. She glanced over at a photo of James and her when they were at a New Years Eve party at the age of nineteen. Karen was holding up an orange cocktail to the camera and winking, and James wore a green wonky party hat and had an arm around Karen. Karen immediately noticed that there was something wrong. Karen picked it up and examined it closely.

"Oh no." She said. "James' face is cracked." The crack ran down James' carefree face from the top of the frame to the left. "That's a bad omen."

_James…I hope you're alright._

…

"AAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!" Meno screamed.

"Am I dreaming?" Hannah asked. "Please tell me I'm dreaming." Aster didn't answer. He stared straight ahead of him horrified. What had happened was so fast; it was almost as if time had slowed down. James had shoved Aster away from the axe, just as it collided towards them and sliced the air, in the process slicing James across his chest in a shallow but deadly cut. Now, James laid on the ground a metre away from the kids, clutching his injury as blood leaked out.

"I…no…ah…" Aster stuttered. "DAD!" He yelled dashing to James body and kneeled down beside it. "Say something…anything…Dad!" Magdala stood as if glued to the spot, trembling after what she did.

"Daddy?" She whispered. Squeezing her eyes shut, she ran back to the stairs and went out of sight.

"Dad…I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…it's all my fault…I…I…"

"Aster…" James muttered. "It's alright. I just moved on my own. Natural instinct I guess."

"This wound is beyond my healing abilities." Meno said sadly.

"Even if Meno and I combined our powers, James may still die." Hannah said.

"But…dad can't die…" Aster looked down at the ground, trembling. "He just can't…" He gripped James' blood covered hand. "If only I could heal then he would be okay." James' body glowed orange and the blood moved back into the wound. "Huh? Hannah I knew you'd be able to do it!"

"Er…Aster." Hannah held up both of her hands. "I'm not doing anything."

"Meno?" Meno shook her head.

"We're not doing it." She indicated Aster's hand. "You are."

"Me?" Aster asked. He looked at his hand. It was glowing orange. "My god I am!" Seconds later, the wound sealed up and not a trace of blood was left. Aster let go of James' hand.

"That felt weird." Aster murmured.

"Wake up papa. You're okay now."

"Dad? Were we too late?"

"No. He's still alive." Hannah said, feeling James' neck for a pulse. "You did it, Aster. You saved your dad's life."

"But…that was your power I used." Aster looked at his hand. "How did I do it?"

…

_Where…where am I? James thought. Am I alive? No…I'm dreaming. James looked around. He was in a study, and he saw himself sitting at a desk, drawing a design on a sketch pad._

"_Daddy?"_

_A five year old Aster had walked in, wearing dark blue pyjamas decorated with miniature rocket ships and rubbing his eyes._

"_Morning, Aster. Is something wrong?"_

"_Where's mommy?" Young Aster asked._

"_Of course." James said to himself. "This is the day after Miranda tried to kill Aster. I must've erased his memories later."_

"_Well…" Dream James started. "She's gone."_

"_I know she's gone. Where'd she go?"_

"_She's…she's gone to see grandma." James lied._

"_Oh…" Aster looked at the ground._

"_She went quite a few years ago."_

"_It's just that…I feel like I know her, but I don't."_

"_You were very young then; it's hardly surprising." Dream James picked up his sketch pad and showed it to Aster. "What do you think of this?" James asked, changing the subject._

"_He's cool. He's got a wheel for a leg!" Aster exclaimed._

"_Would you like to name him?" Aster nodded._

"_Hmmm…he's looks like he's going fast…kinda like a motorbike…no, he's dashing like a rollerblader…ah ha! Destiny Hero-Dasher!"_

"_You're better at thinking of names than me." Aster laughed. James watched the two of them sadly._

_I felt awful lying to Aster like that. But it was to protect him. James thought. The study started to glow white, until it turned into a playground. Aster, now seven, wandered through it with a yellow backpack over his shoulders._

"_Hey, you!"_

_Aster turned around, and was greeted with a shove on the concrete._

"_What do you want, Elliott?" Aster asked._

"_You know there's a fee for going through my territory. Now give." Elliott thrust his hand towards Aster._

"_But…all I have is my lunch money. I need it."_

"_Aw, shame." Elliott said, pretending pity. "Hand it over." Aster dug into his pocket and gave him two pounds. "All of it." Aster gave him the rest. Elliott poked at the money in his hand. "Hmph. We get more money at the orphanage than this. Even that Meno does." Aster stood up. Elliott grabbed his shirt. "Listen, punk. Just because you were adopted by that pro duellist The D, it doesn't mean you're better than us. There are other people who aren't as fortunate."_

"_No. You're wrong." Aster protested. "I have no family, just like you. I never said I was better than you. If anything, I'm your equal."_

_WHAK!_

_Aster stumbled with his hand over one side of his face._

"_Don't give me that pathetic crap." Elliott spat. "You're nothing like me. You're not like any of us. There's no place for you to go. Nobody wants you here, so just do us all a favour and drop dead!" Aster gasped, and Elliott walked off, leaving Aster alone._

_This is what Aster endured while I was gone? James thought. The scene changed once again to Aster standing in the kitchen._

"_Elliott's right." Aster said. He pushed a foot stool to a counter, stood on it and searched through the contents of a drawer. "Nobody wants me here. I'm all alone. I'm better off dead." Aster pulled out a small cutting knife for chopping onions. He brought it to his left wrist. "Nobody will miss me." He pressed the knife into his skin. He winced in pain. "Being lonely is scary. I don't know where I'll go when I die, and that's scary too. But it's better than staying here." Suddenly, the knife was snatched from his hand. The D stood next to Aster, wearing a black suit with a purple tie and his hair neatly combed._

"_What's the big idea huh?" The D asked gently. He pulled out a handkerchief from his front pocket and wrapped it around Aster's cut wrist, tying it in a knot._

"_Nothing, Kyle." Aster answered. "Would you miss me if I died?"_

"_Of course I would. You may not know it, but there are a lot of people who will miss you." He placed a hand on Aster's shoulder. "You shouldn't die now. You've got too much to live for. Don't listen to what that Elliott says. You are more remarkable than you think."_

"_I didn't know Aster tried to kill himself." James said to himself._

_Once again, the room glowed white until it changed into a dressing room. Aster, now fourteen, sat on a stool staring into a mirror._

"_Five minutes, Mr Phoenix." A voice said, tapping on the door._

"_Thanks." Aster stared back into the mirror. "Well, it's my big day today. If I win this match, I'll be one of the top ten in the pro league." Aster glanced at a photograph hanging on the corner of the mirror. He removed it and looked into it. "If only you were alive, dad. I know how proud you would be." Aster rolled up his left sleeve, showing the ugly scar. "Even though I want to be where you are so much, I'll keep on living. For you." Aster closed his eyes tightly. "I'll make the most of life while I can." He wiped his eyes furiously with his arm. "Dammit, get a hold of yourself." Another knocking occurred on the door again._

"_You're on soon, sir."_

"_Right." Aster stuffed the photo in his pocket, picked up his duel disk and made his way to the door. "Dad, please watch me, wherever you are." The room glowed white again, until there was only darkness._

"_Where am I now?" James wondered._

"_Nowhere." Present day Aster appeared in front of James. "What you saw was no lie. I endured all of this because of you. I had hardly any happiness despite being successful. You're the one to blame for my loneliness and suffering. It's all you." Aster smiled. "But I'm sure you'll be forgiven."_

"_What do you mean?" James asked. Aster slowly began to grow transparent._

"_Your chance is near. There is someone waiting for you." Aster disappeared, and a white glowing consumed James and the darkness._

…

James' eyes snapped open.

"Papa, you're alive!" Meno cried, hugging him around his neck.

"What happened?" James asked, sitting up.

"You got injured by Magdala, but she ran off." Hannah answered.

"We really thought you were gone for a minute." Aster said, moving a section of hair behind his ear. James' eyes widened. On Aster's left wrist was a long scar. "Is something wrong?" Aster noticed James was staring at his scar. "Oh, this? I had a bit of an accident whilst cutting carrots. I should've been more careful."

_He's lying about it?_ James thought.

"You're such a klutz Aster." Hannah said.

"Yeah, well accidents happen, alright? Live and learn." James grabbed Aster's wrist. "Huh?" James pulled Aster towards him and hugged him.

"What're they doing?" Hannah muttered.

"Something you won't be able to understand." Meno answered.

"Friends. Love. Joy." James said, still hugging a surprised Aster. "Almost everything good was taken away from you and it was my death that caused it." James began to stroke Aster's hair. "Aster…ever since the day you were born, even as a spirit, I never stopped thinking about you."

"Dad?"

"I'm so sorry Aster. For all the sadness I've caused you."

"Just go with it." Hannah whispered, seeing Aster's confused face.

"Dad… you don't have to apologise for anything. I've already forgiven you." Aster said. James pulled away and looked into Aster's eyes, smiling.

"Thank you."

"Now come on. We're gonna freeze if we don't get inside."

…

Domino police station

"Deaths at Pizza Hut. Deaths in the park. Who's causing them all?!" A head officer exclaimed, waving papers around as he walked past desks with other police officers. He sat down at his own desk eventually.

"With all due respect sir, we're all trying to find clues but there isn't a single one around. Whoever's behind this is an expert." Another officer said.

"This is almost like that eight year old girl Meno." The head officer's eyes widened.

"Did you say…Meno?"

"Yes sir." The officer nodded.

"What reports do we have on her?" The head demanded.

"Well…she killed many people at aged eight, and she got taken away at age eleven."

"Do you think it's possible she broke out?"

"Maybe. There were quite a few deaths similar to that of in the city where she was."

"It could be the same girl." Suddenly, the phone on the desk rang. The head officer answered it.

"Officer Jones speaking." He said. "What? Is this a joke?" He asked, eyes wide. "A pink mushroom cloud on a block of flats? I see…Understood." Jones placed the phone back in its holder and stood up. "Clarks. Round up all of our weapons. Banks. Phone our researchers. Evans. Send a message to the government." He demanded, walking quickly to the exit whilst pulling on a blue police jacket. "Tell them that Meno is loose."

…

"SCORE!" Hannah yelled, leaping off the sofa and punching the air.

"I thought you were supporting the eagles." Aster said.

"Well I've changed my mind. I'm supporting those guys in red." Hannah turned back to the television, broadcasting a basketball game. "Hey! That's a foul!" She exclaimed, slapping her forehead.

"Do you play basketball?" Syrus asked. "How could you play if you were blind?"

"They put some sort of beeper in the ball so I knew where it was." Hannah answered, not taking her eyes away from the television. "Yes! Free shot for the reds!"

"Was she like this at the zoo?" Syrus asked Aster. He nodded.

"Give her a break, Sy. She's seeing things for the first time."

"What's all the racket about?" Jaden asked, walking out of his room rubbing his eyes. "I was in the middle of a nice dream."

"Who're you?" Hannah asked.

"Don't you recognise me?" Hannah glared at Jaden. "Oh right. You were blind."

"Well, I kinda recognise your voice." Hannah thought for a few seconds. "AH HA!" She yelled, making everyone jump. "You're Jaden." She coaxed Jaden towards her. He hesitated, before walking to the sofa. "Why's your face red?"

"It is?" Hannah went closer to Jaden, until their faces were inches apart. Her cheeks were pink.

"You have a crush on me, don't you?" She asked.

"Er…" Jaden started.

"It's no use hiding it. Because I've had a crush on you too. Ever since I sort of saw you." She fiddled with a strand of her hair nervously. "Close your eyes."

"Wha…" Jaden muttered, but he closed his eyes. After a few seconds, Hannah leaned forward, eyes closed, and kissed Jaden. Jaden opened his eyes wide with surprise and almost pulled away, but he closed his eyes again and embraced her.

"Wow. She acts fast." Syrus muttered. Hannah parted her kiss with Jaden.

"I wasn't really expecting that." Jaden said.

"Yeah, well…I've always wanted to do that." She peered at the television. "Hey! Meno's on television!" She exclaimed happily, pointing at the screen.

"What?! Sy, turn it up." Aster said.

"We interrupt this match to bring an important news bulletin. The murderer in this city, where people's limbs have been cut off and other body parts, has been identified. The blue haired witness is in fact the killer from long ago. Meno, now thirteen, was confirmed to be alive when witnesses spotted a pink mushroom cloud on a block of flats."

"They saw that?" Hannah asked.

"Well, it was pretty big." Aster shrugged.

"Police are now searching for Meno, given the order to kill her on sight. If any further action is caused by Meno, then the army will be called in. Until this all is settled, everyone should be on their guard." Syrus switched the television off, shocked.

"They found out." Jaden said.

"What? Found out what?" Hannah asked.

"What're we gonna do? If Meno steps outside, she'll get killed."

"Should we tell her?" Syrus asked.

"Well, we'll have to." Aster said.

"Why?" Hannah asked.

"Where is she?"

"I think she went outside to…" Syrus stopped in mid sentence.

"CRAP!" Aster yelled.

"What's going on?" Haru asked, opening his bedroom door.

"Meno's on the most wanted, and she's outside. Aw, crud. If someone sees her, she's dead." Jaden exclaimed.

"But why?" Hannah asked, gradually becoming annoyed.

"What's going on then?" Melody asked, wandering into the passageway with Chloe, James and Hassleberry.

"We have to find Meno. She's in danger!" Jaden said.

"Come on!" Aster ran through to the bookcase with everyone except Hannah, who stood on the spot, confused.

"Will somebody please tell me what the hell is going on?!" Hannah shouted, exasperated.

…

"It's such a beautiful day." Meno sighed, sitting on the edge of a fountain in the park. She trailed her fingers in the cool water. "I wonder if papa would be worried about me if something happened?"

"Hey! You!"

Meno looked up and saw a police officer standing two metres away from her. "Is there a problem?" She asked.

"Yes." The police officer nodded. "You are under arrest for murder. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say may be given as evidence in court and…" Before the police officer could continue, Meno had run off. "Hey, get back here!" Suddenly, vines wrapped around his ankles, preventing him from moving. "What the hell?!"

"Sorry, officer." Aster said quickly, running past him after Meno.

"Seriously. We're actually the good guys." Jaden said, following Aster with Syrus and Hassleberry. Haru stopped to look at the police officer.

"If I were you, I'd try and forget about this." Haru said before running again, followed by James, Melody and Chloe.

"What the…" The police officer muttered. He pulled out a walkie talkie. "Officer Clarks. Over. Meno is in the park, along with civilians who are friends. Requiring backup. Call the army if necessary. Meno has to die."

…

"They know." Meno gasped, sitting by a tree. "They know. What am I going to do?"

"Meno!" Aster yelled, bursting through the trees. Meno yelled in surprise and fear.

"Aster! What are you doing here?"

"Gettin' you outta here, that's what." Aster answered. "It's not safe for you here." Everyone else ran through the hedges at this point.

"Papa!" Meno cried, hugging James around his waist. "They know! What's going to happen? I'm scared!"

"It's alright." James soothed. "Let's go home until we can figure things out."

"Uh…guys?" Haru started, staring through the trees. "We've got a problem."

"What is it, soldier?" Hassleberry asked.

"ATTENTION!" A voice through a megaphone boomed. "WE KNOW YOU ARE IN THERE! COME OUT QUIETLY WITHOUT ANY RESISTANCE AND WE WON'T SHOOT! ANY TROUBLE AND REFUSAL TO COOPERATE WILL LEAD TO AN IMMEDIATE ARREST!"

"Aw, crap!" Aster yelled, kicking a tree.

"What now?" Syrus asked.

"We'll just have to cooperate for now." James answered.

"Then, when they least expect it, we run for it?" Jaden suggested.

"That will only make things worse, idiot!" Melody snapped.

"I thought you'd say that." Syrus muttered.

"You're no fun." Jaden sulked. Aster moved a branch from a tree out of the way and peered through.

"There's a lot of police officers there." Aster said. "They've got tanks as well. Even a few helicopters. What the…is that a missile launcher?!"

"Sam hill!" Hassleberry exclaimed. "They've brought the army here!"

"What did you do Meno?" Chloe asked.

"I…" Meno started.

"It's alright. We'll face them and if they understand, you'll be okay." James stepped through the trees past Aster with Meno clinging onto him. The rest of the gang followed. In the clearing and around the fountain were hundreds of police and army officers, with at least seven tanks, a small missile launcher and a dozen helicopters were circling the area around the group.

"SURRENDER THE GIRL AND NOBODY WILL GET HURT!" Officer Jones spoke through his megaphone.

"Listen. There's been a misunderstanding." James started. "You obviously think my…daughter is someone else."

"WITH ALL DUE RESPECT, SIR, THIS IS NO MISUNDERSTANDING. MENO KNOWS THIS. UNCONCIOUSLY, SHE HAS KILLED THOUSANDS OF INNOCENT PEOPLE, AND WHO'S TO SAY YOU'LL BE NEXT?!"

"What he saying?" Haru asked.

"Meno could never kill someone." Jaden said. "Right?"

"Wrong." Aster and Syrus said at the same time.

"What do you mean wrong?" Hassleberry asked.

"It's a long story." Syrus said quickly.

"IF YOU DON'T HAND HER OVER TO US, WE WON'T HESITATE TO SHOOT!"

"Papa. Let me go." Meno said.

"Meno…" James started.

"It's alright. I'll be fine." Meno let go of James and began to walk slowly to the group of officers and military.

"THAT'S IT! GOOD GIRL!"

"Is she crazy?" Hassleberry wondered.

Meno stopped when she reached the fountain, just a few metres away from the men.

"WHY HAVE YOU STOPPED?"

"I'm not going." She declared.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU'RE NOT GOING?!"

"I know what you're like when I'm involved. Even if there are people involved, you'd go to great measures just to exterminate me. You might even give my friends and papa a death sentence like you usually do."

"Death…sentence?" Syrus said slowly.

"I only came this far so you can hear me. If you are going to hurt innocent people, I'm not going."

"You little bitch!" An army officer yelled, running up to Meno.

"DON'T!"

The man hit Meno across her head with the rear of his gun. Meno cried out in pain as she fell and skidded two metres across the ground.

"Meno!" Haru yelled.

"SEIZE THE WITNESSES!" The man with the megaphone yelled. But nobody moved. "WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? THAT'S A COMMAND!"

"It's Meno." A police officer muttered. Slowly, Meno was standing up onto her feet again, rubbing her head.

"Oh dear." Syrus said.

"Huh?" Melody muttered.

"What do you mean? Meno's okay." Haru asked.

"If you want to live, don't say anything." Aster said.

"What in the hell are you talking about?" Jaden asked, gradually growing impatient.

"Meno has a split personality." Syrus explained. "It's the complete opposite of the Meno we know."

"Only me, Syrus and dad know about it. We saw her nearly kill a tough guy. And something tells me this is Meno's split personality showing."

"Here she comes." An army officer said slowly. The army officer near Meno stepped backwards slowly.

"Er…nice…whatever you are." He said nervously. Suddenly, his head was sliced cleanly off his head.

"AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" Melody and Chloe squealed.

"What the hell?!" Haru yelled.

"No way. She did not just do that!" Jaden muttered, shaking his head quickly. Meno looked up, her brown eyes lifeless. A pink vortex that reached up to the sky twisted around her body, making her hair and clothes blow in the light breeze.

_I'll kill you all…_ She thought.

**WOW! What a way to end this chapter! What will happen to everyone? Find out next time, only in Phoenix Fire.**


	11. Chapter 11: The Hunter

**WOO HOO! EXAMS R OVER! Well, at least until my GCSE's come. Now I'll be able to work on these chappies! So without further ado, I proudly present this next chapter. ENJOY!**

Chapter 11

The Hunter

"Wh…what's going on?" Hassleberry asked, staring at an almost lifeless Meno, who looked at the soldiers and officers calmly.

"Why's Meno acting like this?" Melody asked. Syrus was slowly edging his way away from the group and Meno.

"Slowly…carefully…slowly and carefully…" He muttered. Meno turned her head to Syrus. "AAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" Syrus ran at full speed. "QUICKLY AND DANGEROUSLY!" Syrus dived behind a bush next to a park bench. "I'm not c…coming out until Meno's normal!"

"Syrus, it's just Meno." Jaden said.

"You're wrong." Aster said. "That's not Meno at all. This is someone completely different."

"Heh." Meno sniffed, smiling. She turned back to the army.

"FIRE!" Officer Jones yelled through the megaphone. Suddenly, thousands of machine guns fired at the same time at Meno, making a noise that was so loud, the entire gang other than Meno clamped their hands over their ears. A huge dust cloud was made around Meno as the bullets rocketed towards her.

"CEASE!" Everyone stopped firing immediately.

"Did we get her?" An army officer asked. When the smoke cleared, Meno stood on exactly the same spot, and thousands of bullets were floating around her.

"What the…she stopped every single one of them?!" Haru exclaimed. Every bullet began to glow pink. Without warning, they whooshed back to the officers, hitting most of them either in their arms of legs.

"How's she doing that?" Chloe wondered. Meno began to walk towards the officers.

"DON'T HESITATE! SHOOT!"

"We're out of bullets, sir." An army officer protested.

"We're all gonna die…" A police officer said, afraid. Everyone watched in growing fear as Meno walked towards them slowly.

"ASSUME STANCE NUMBER SIX!" Six army officers ran out of the crowd, three kneeled down on one knee and the other three stood on the ground, their shotguns pointed.

"Armed and ready to fire!" An officer declared. His eyes widened. Meno was standing almost directly in front of them. She smirked.

"Aren't you going to shoot?" She asked. She raised a glowing right hand above her head. Silence. Suddenly, six energy beams shot out of her hand, and each one sliced the torsos of the six army officers. The entire gang stared, horrified, as the lower limbs shot blood out and fell to the floor.

"At least give me a real challenge." Meno said acidly.

"LAUNCH THE MISSILE!" The small missile launcher shot a missile up into the air, before it whistled down to where Meno was standing. She raised a finger up to the missile. It stopped just as it was inches from her fingertip.

"But…th…that's impossible!" Hassleberry stuttered. A nearby police officer ran near to where Meno stood and fired a single bullet from his handgun into the missile, creating a huge explosion.

"She can't have survived that!" Jaden yelled, shielding himself from the explosion. However, when the smoke cleared, Meno was unharmed. "She survived it?!" Meno turned to look at the police officer, who dropped his gun.

"Please. Don't kill me." The officer begged. Meno's eyes glowed pink. The officers' eyes flashed pink briefly. Meno outstretched her right arm, and the policeman did the same. "What's happening? I can't control myself." Meno bent down to the ground and made the officer pick up his handgun again. "No. I don't want to die." Meno made the officer aim the pistol at his head, and his finger tightened on the trigger. Chloe covered her eyes, knowing what was going to come next. She heard a gunshot and a body falling to the floor. When Chloe opened her eyes, the officer lay dead on the floor.

"She did that." Melody muttered. "She made that guy shoot himself."

"Syrus! Move over! I wanna come in too!" Jaden yelled, scrambling behind the same bush as Syrus.

"Come and get me." Meno taunted at the other officers.

"Charge!" A head army officer yelled. Every single army officer ran over to Meno with a loud battle cry.

"ARE YOU SUICIDAL?!" Officer Jones yelled. Meno stood calmly on the spot as the thousands of soldiers charged towards her. When they were just metres away, a small wind blew around her feet, gradually turning pink and getting taller and taller. Eventually, a small whirlwind the same height as her blew around her body.

"Fire!" An army officer yelled. Everyone stopped running, rearmed their machine guns and fired at Meno, but the bullets disappeared as soon as they hit the vortex. In a single second, the pink vortex expanded until all the army officers couldn't be seen, almost filling the entire clearing. In fact, the expansion only stopped until it was just inches from the gang and police officers.

"What's happening now?" Chloe asked, hiding behind Melody. The pink light glowed even brighter.

"Get back!" James yelled, grabbing Aster's arm and moving backwards away from the light.

"What's going on?" Syrus asked, peering over the hedge, but came face to face with the light. Suddenly, the large vortex at a fast speed until it was almost a blur. Blood and body parts flew out like rain and landed all over the grass. "Yipe!" Syrus yelped, hiding behind the bush again.

"Why is Meno doing this?" Melody asked, shielding her sister from the body parts and blood. "This isn't like her."

"Yes, that's what I've been saying for the past ages!" Aster exclaimed. When the pink light died down, Meno didn't have a single drop of blood on her clothes and body, and the cut up corpses of the army lay on the ground. She held a head in her right hand by the hair, and dropped it onto the floor. The police officers stared, afraid. Meno glanced up at the police helicopters flying above her head. She picked up an arm and aimed it at the sky, making the arm glow pink. She threw it like a javelin, and the arm flew at rocket speed through two of the helicopters. Meno raised her hand up in the air. She moved her hand to the right, and the arm followed the same path, destroying another helicopter. She moved the arm through all of the helicopters until they were all destroyed. The destroyed helicopters began to fall towards the ground.

"Oh no! They're heading straight towards us!" Syrus yelled.

"It's been nice knowing you!" Jaden yelled. Melody ran in front of Jaden and Syrus with her arms crossed in front of her, her flute in one hand. A white force field was created around them, just as two helicopters crashed into the force field. The rest of the helicopters crashed into the ground in the clearing.

"That would be so cool if it didn't hurt us." Hassleberry said. "Huh?" Hassleberry glanced at Haru. He was trembling with wide eyes. "Are you okay?"

_It's happening…_Haru thought. _Just like five years ago._

Meno looked at the police officers, who flinched away from her, afraid.

"RETREAT!" Officer Jones yelled. However, as soon as they turned around, a pink wall of energy blocked their path.

"You're not going anywhere." Meno said.

"Meno!"

Meno glanced over her shoulder after hearing her name. Aster stood nearby, a few metres away from her.

"You've done enough. You can calm down now." Meno glared at him.

"AH!" Aster yelled, suddenly whisked off his feet and ramming straight into a tree.

"Shut up!" Meno snapped. "You're next."

"That does it! You've gone too far!" Hassleberry snapped. Meno narrowed her eyes. A pink arm appeared behind her, whooshed towards Hassleberry and touched his forehead lightly, the fingertips penetrating his headband.

"Don't move." Meno said. "Even by moving an inch has consequences. My lightest touch can kill you." Another pink arm grabbed James' shoulder. "Here as well." A final pink arm touched Syrus' waist. "And here. There isn't a single thing in your pathetic human bodies I can't use to end you." The arms slowly disappeared, leaving the three near victims terrified. Meno turned back to the police officers. "I won't hold back next time. Keep quiet if you don't want to die."

"I don't feel good." Syrus moaned.

_She almost killed the people who were close to her._ Jaden thought. _Aster was right. This is someone else._

"We have a survivor!" Hassleberry yelled. An army officer was crawling away from the corpses, covered with blood. "You alright there?" Meno created a pink energy sword in her right hand and disappeared in a flash of pink light.

"No! Teleportation!" The army officer yelled, running to the gang and clinging to Haru. "Please! Save me! I don't want to die!" Meno appeared behind the soldier and sliced off his head with her sword. Haru stared at the headless army officer, horrified.

"_Haru! Save yourself!"_

"_Stop it!"_

"_This is what happens when you disobey me."_

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" Haru yelled, clutching his head.

"You okay, private?" Hassleberry asked.

"MOM! DAD! NOOOOOOO!! STOP IT!"

"What's wrong with him?" Aster asked, standing up rubbing his head.

"I don't know. But are you okay, private?"

"Well, apart from the fact I've now got a headache, yup! I'm fine." Suddenly, a pink hand grabbed his neck and shoved him against the tree again.

"I told you to be quiet." Meno reminded.

"We're next." A police officer panicked.

"I'll get that bitch!" An army officer snapped, aiming a pistol at her.

"Not another move." Meno said. "I've got the famous pro duellist Aster Phoenix here. One false move and he gets it. And to prove I'm serious…" The hand tightened around Aster's neck, who choked and clutched the arm. "I'll tighten my grip."

"You son of a…" A police officer fired a bullet at Meno, which stopped when it was inches from her head. The bullet suddenly rushed into Aster's right shoulder.

"OW! DAMMIT THAT HURT!"

"Are you crazy? She's got a hostage."

"Dammit. Meno's crafty."

"MENO." Officer Jones started calmly through the megaphone. "LET ASTER GO, AND WE WON'T HARM YOU."

"Make me." Meno taunted. She spotted the tanks. "Oh. Looks like the army left behind some toys." Two of them glowed pink and levitated off the ground. With Meno's telepathic abilities, they flew through the air towards the police. The officers all ran out of the way, just as they crashed into the ground and exploded. Another tank glowed pink and fired at the crowd, creating another explosion and killing several police officers in the process. The missile launcher floated in the air, along with the rest of the tanks. They all turned black and began to turn into a ball like screwing up paper, and they lit up with pink fire.

"We're dead." A police officer said. The metal fireballs collided into the crowd, killing anyone who was in the vicinity. Officer Jones hid in the trees, out of Meno's sight.

"Dammit. This has all gone wrong." He muttered, running away.

"Now…" Meno started, turning to Aster. "Where were we? Oh yes! I remember." The pink arm pulled Aster by the neck towards Meno. Aster glared at her, still clutching the arm. "I said I was going to kill you at the beach, and now I can." She made the pink arm lift Aster off the pavement and slammed him into the bottom of the water fountain. "You shall drown at my wrath." Haru closed his eyes tightly, shaking.

"STOP IT! JUST STOP IT!" Haru yelled. Meno's eyes widened.

"_STOP IT PLEASE, STOP IT! NO MORE! JUST STOP IT!"_

"Urgh." Meno said, clutching her head, making the pink arm grappling Aster disappear. Aster burst through the water, gasping. "ARGH!" Meno shouted. She staggered and fell onto her knees, facing the gang. Silence followed. She looked up, and the shine in Meno's eyes had returned.

"What the… what happened?" Meno asked, looking around her. Black metal was jammed into the blood decorated ground, with limbs and heads all around the fountain, where Aster was squeezing the water out of his hair.

"Ew! There's a hand in here!" Aster exclaimed, throwing a hand out of the water. "You are Meno, right?"

"Why are you in there?"

"Well, that evil side of yours took out an entire army, destroyed their machines and almost killed me."

"It's true." Chloe said, peering from behind Melody.

"I did?" Meno stood up. She kicked an army boot away from her sadly.

"Meno…" James started, reaching out towards Meno to comfort her.

"NO!" She screamed, swatting James' hand away form her, surprising him. "No…" She said quieter, stepping backwards. "Stay away…" She spun around and ran out of the park.

"Can we come out now?" Syrus asked, peering over the hedge.

..

Meno ran down a street as fast as she could, weaving in and out of crowds.

_I can't stay with them anymore._ Meno thought._ It's too dangerous._ She burst through the trees and paused to catch her breath.

"Where would I go though?" Meno wondered. She rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands. "What am I going to do?" She sobbed

"Hey!" Meno looked up. A man wearing a burgundy jacket over a red t-shirt and black trousers stood metres away from her with a gun pointed. "Recognise me? It's Armstrong here. Mind telling me what the hell you're doing here?" He grinned. "Careful, sweetheart. The wrong answer might get you killed." Meno turned away calmly.

"You know what I can do. I can kill you without batting an eyelash. But you're lucky, because I'm not using my other side, so I won't kill you, but don't think that I can't."

"Remaining calm even with a gun pointed in your direction. You sure have nerve." Meno walked away. "Hey! Where do you think you're going?!" Armstrong fired a bullet at Meno, which scratched her on the shoulder. Meno clutched the scratch.

_So heavy…I couldn't stop it._

"A lead tungsten bullet was shot at you. I know that you aren't strong enough to deflect it like you did before." Armstrong walked closer to Meno. "If I can scratch you at that distance, at this range I'm certain to kill you."

"Your arm and leg are back." Armstrong nodded. He rolled up the sleeve of his left arm, revealing an arm that looked normal except for a small rectangle of circuits.

"Artificial body parts. I'm going to pay you back for what you did to me."

"But mister, I didn't do anything." Meno protested. "I have another half. Please, just let me go. I don't want to harm you."

"I know who you really are, Meno." Armstrong snapped. "You're a Kishido, aren't ya? Heh, after your birth, they carried on killing babies of your kind. They don't even let you leave the nursery. There's no place for you to live."

"No! You're wrong!" Meno turned away from Armstrong. "I'll be good. I'll be a good girl for papa and everyone else. I'll go somewhere and live peacefully. And then I'll-"

"What, are you thick?!" Armstrong kicked Meno on her head, making her fall onto the grass. "Whoops, gotta keep my distance." He muttered, hopping backwards away from Meno. "There's nowhere for you to go. You'll always be shunned by society, no matter how much you deny it."

"That's not true." Meno whispered, tears filling her eyes.

"Then why are you running away from your "papa"? Because you know you can't stay with them without killing. Face it, brat, just give up and I can take you back to where you belong." Meno's eyes widened. She remembered a lab with white walls, with her arms held onto one wall with locks, and a huge cannon sticking out of a large window.

"NOOOOO!!!" Meno screamed.

WHAM!

"OW!" Armstrong stumbled from a sudden attack. Aster was in front of him, glaring at him angrily.

"Leave her alone."

"A…Aster?"

"Stay out of this." Armstrong demanded. "This has nothing to do with you."

"This has everything to do with me. Sure Meno is a killer, but I know who she really is. She's a kind hearted sweet young girl, who will never harm anyone. The Meno you know isn't the one you're looking at now. She's crying, for God's sake!"

"Urgh. Just you wait, brat. You'll be sorry you kept her alive. She'll kill us all!" Armstrong ran into the trees. Aster turned to Meno.

"You okay?" He asked, reaching a hand out to help her stand up.

"Yes but…why did you follow me?"

"Is she there, Aster?" James asked, moving a branch out of the way.

"Papa…" Meno whispered. She hugged him tightly. "It's you! Papa, oh papa it's you!" She moved away from James and looked over the ocean. "But…I can't stay with you anymore."

"Why not?" Aster asked.

"Because…I killed an entire army on my own. I did it without even thinking." She closed her eyes tightly, allowing tears to drip off her face. "Because I was there, thousands of people died. I don't want you all to die."

"Meno…we can't let you go out on your own. You're only thirteen. Besides, you're a member of our family." Meno turned to James, surprised.

"What do you mean?" She asked

"Well…dad and I have been talking for a while about you, and you've obviously become attached to us, so er…dad went to Domino Orphanage to see if your papers are still there, and they were, so…"

"I signed some adoption forms." James finished

"Adoption?" Meno repeated.

"Yes. I was going to tell you in the morning, but you were at the park, so I thought I'd tell you now."

"Papa I…" Meno started. Tears appeared in her eyes again. "I…" She buried her face in her hands. "I'm so happy." She cried. Aster placed an arm around her shoulders.

"Welcome to the family…sis."

…

"I've got a present for you Meno." Syrus said, handing Meno a small parcel wrapped in pink tissue paper. Meno opened it, and it revealed a deck of duel monsters cards.

"My own deck." She squeaked. "Can I try it out on you, Syrus? Can I? Can I?"

"Sure."

"YAY!" Meno skipped into Syrus' bedroom.

"Meno sure has blossomed since yesterday." Aster said. "Er…Jay?" Jaden was still asleep on his bed with his face in his pillow, even though he was fully dressed. "How long is it going to take for you to get up?!" Aster exclaimed, shoving Jaden's face into the pillow.

"Ow! I'll get up! I said I'd get up!" Jaden groaned, his voice muffled by the pillow and waving his arms around him. Aster removed his hand from Jaden's head.

"But still…Meno was scarier than when I last saw her other side. And who knows? She might get so out of control, even I won't be able to stop her." Jaden sat up.

"Hey, just because she's a killer doesn't mean she'll go crazy again."

"Yeah…maybe you're right. Now get your deck out. I haven't duelled in ages." Jaden groaned and let his face fall into his pillow again. Aster glared at Jaden, and shoved his face into the pillow again.

"C'mon, get up you lazy sack of potatoes. Hurry up!"

"Ow! Ow! Okay, okay! Cut it out!"

…

"Haru?" Hassleberry started, opening the door to Haru's bedroom. Haru was sitting on the bed, spinning a pole in his hand. He stopped after seeing Hassleberry.

"Oh…what is it?" Haru asked.

"Y'know yesterday? When Meno attacked the army, you were freaking out. Then when a guy was beheaded in front of you, you acted strange. Why?"

"Why would you want to know?" Haru said coldly.

"Because a sergeant always looks out for his soldiers!" Haru moved some blonde hair behind his ear.

"It's because…the incident yesterday reminded me of a memory I try to forget."

_Flashback_

_Sekio rested his head in his hand on a table, moving a rectangle of earth up and down in the ground with his finger, bored._

"_Big brother." Sekio turned around, and Haru, twelve years old, was by the doorway._

"_Y'know that first mission we went on? Did you manage to complete it?"_

"_No." Sekio answered. "I couldn't bring myself to kill him."_

"_Oh… I couldn't do it either." There was a silence. "Big brother?"_

"_What is it?"_

"_Do you think Kagehoshi is going to be mad at us?" Sekio stood up and patted Haru on his shoulder._

"_Don't worry about it, little bro. She won't be that mad. Even if something does happen, I'll always protect you, because that's what big brother's do."_

"_Okay."_

"_SEKIO! HARU!"_

"_That's Kagehoshi's voice." Haru panicked. "She sounds really cross." Kagehoshi burst through the doors angrily._

"_You didn't follow my orders!" She roared. "How dare you!"_

"_But…we couldn't do it. And we're sorry. If you must punish us, then punish me. But don't hurt my brother."_

"_Oh, don't worry. I won't be hurting you." Haru sighed in relief. Kagehoshi snapped her fingers. A figure in shadows walked in, with two people in front of her. "I'll hurt the two people close to you." The two figures moved out of the shadows. One was a woman with long blonde hair, and the other was a man with a head of brown hair._

"_Mom! Dad!" Haru yelled._

"_Haru! Save yourself." The woman yelled._

"_Because you disobeyed me, I'm never merciful the first time. Behold!" The figure raised an arm up above their head. "This is what happens when you disobey me." The mysterious person's hand glowed blue and she brought it down behind the woman. Her eyes widened, and she fell onto the floor, a hole visible in her back. The shadowed person's finger tips were covered with blood._

"_MOM!" Haru screamed. He almost ran to her side, but Sekio placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping him. "STOP IT!"_

"_One down." Kagehoshi said coldly. The man looked up._

"_Wait." He said. "Can I say something first?"_

"_Fine." Kagehoshi sniffed._

"_Sekio." He started. "You've always been great at wielding stone. Be proud of your gift, and don't make others hate you. Look after your little brother for me, okay?"_

"_I will." Sekio nodded. The man turned to Haru, who had tears in his eyes._

"_Don't cry, Haru." He said, smiling softly. "Look, I may have been hard on you in the past, and forgive me for it. You definitely have the potential to be a brilliant stone wielder. I'm sure you'll grow up into a fine man. Who knows? You might become a fully fledged master. Keep practicing and you'll be great."_

"_Uh-huh." Haru said._

"_I'm proud of you two. My sons. When I'm gone, live life to the fullest, and don't forget to smile."_

"_Okay, that's enough." Kagehoshi said. "Go ahead." She told the shadow. Its hand glowed blue again._

"_DAD!" Haru cried._

"_I'm proud of both of you. Farewell." The shadow's hand slashed across his back, and he fell onto the floor, a deep cut on his back._

"_NNNNNOOOOOOOOO!!!" Haru yelled._

"Live life to the fullest, and don't forget to smile." Haru said quietly. "Those were dad's last words to my brother and I. Who'd have thought that my own sister killed them."

"So…yesterday reminded you of that?"

"Yes. Now Nevara is the only family I have left. I know there's still some good left in her. The only way I can find out is to find her and talk to her about it. Face to face."

"That's a mad idea!" Hassleberry exclaimed. "And you know it." Haru glanced at the carpet.

_I'll ask Aster. He'll understand._ Haru thought. _After all, he's the only one of us apart from me whose enemy has a relationship with us._

…

"Great idea, Haru. If you want to get yourself killed, go for it." Aster said, clutching a basketball before tossing it to Jaden.

"I think that was a no." Jaden whispered loudly to Haru, who rolled his eyes.

"Look, I'm only doing this so I can find out if this is a cover up to my real sister."

"I don't fancy a holiday in Miranda's prison, do you Aster?" Jaden asked, nudging him playfully. Haru ran off into his room.

"Was it something I said?" Jaden wondered.

"Haru shouldn't go and talk to Nevara. She's mom's right hand man…I mean woman. She'll kill him." Jaden threw the basketball at the hoop, only just missing it.

"Rats!" He hissed. "He probably thought you'd understand. I mean, Miranda is your mom."

"Yeah, but I'm just as eager as him to find out the truth. He shouldn't dive head first into situations like this." Aster threw the basket ball, and it landed perfectly through the net.

"You did when Daisy was kidnapped." Jaden pointed out.

"That's different. I didn't even KNOW my enemy was my mother."

"Still." Jaden shrugged.

"Huh?"

"Forget it."

…

"Damn." Haru hissed, leaning on the wall in the living room of the flats. "Nobody thinks I should talk to Nevara. Even Syrus thinks so." He gazed out of the window.

"What the…" Outside, there was an orange light in the sky on the edge of the city.

_It's too late for the sun to rise._ Haru thought. Haru looked closer at the light. There was a beam projecting onto the ground.

"It's a portal." Haru realised. "Wait a sec. I know that type of portal. It's goes to where I live!"

Nevara…

"I have to talk to her. Even if it kills me."

**TA DA! Sorry I took so long, but I had exams and school trips, then it was my 16****th**** birthday on 10th December, so I had a couple of parties, so er, sorry. Stay tuned for the next instalment.**


	12. Chapter 12: Cat Kamikaze

**Hi everybody! Sorry the last chapter took so long, but I'll try and update Phoenix Fire more frequently when possible, but it might be kinda difficult, y'know, GCSE's and all. Anyways, enjoy this next chapter!**

Chapter 12

Cat Kamikaze

"Animal, vegetable or mineral?" Jesse asked, lounging on a sofa.

"Um…animal." Jaden answered.

"Oh, come on. Can't you think of anything more creative than a cow?" Aster exclaimed.

"Stop reading my mind! That's cheating!" Jaden snapped.

"Soldiers! You haven't seen private Haru anywhere, have you?" Hassleberry asked urgently, running out of a room.

"No. Why?"

"I wanted to ask him something, but when I walked into his bedroom, he was gone, and that outfit with the belts was gone as well."

"Uh oh." Jaden said.

"You don't think…he hasn't gone and…"

"I think he has."

"What? Done what?" Jesse asked.

"Haru said that he wanted to see Nevara, but he probably gone off to do it anyway." Aster answered.

"But he wouldn't go somewhere without telling us…would he?" Hassleberry asked.

…

"I think he went this way."

"Stupid hill. I'm never good at climbing these things."

"Not much further."

"Aster, that's not fair!" Aster appeared in the skies with his phoenix wings and he landed on the ground feet first, allowing the wings to disappear.

"You just had to be the one with wings, didn't you?!" Hassleberry murmured, climbing onto the top of the hill, followed by Melody, Chloe, Jesse, Jaden, Syrus, Hannah and Daisy.

"Well you didn't have to come along as well." Aster said as a comeback.

"So…why are we up here?" Syrus asked.

"Can't you see it? There's a big orange vortex thingy in the sky?" Aster pointed up in the sky at the portal. "And there's this spotlight on the ground right there."

"I don't see anything."

"Neither do I."

"I can see it."

"Yes! Thank you, Hannah!" Aster exclaimed.

"How come some things can only be seen by Phoenix Warriors?" Hannah wondered.

"Beats me."

"You won't push me through this one like you did last time, will you, Aster?" Syrus asked nervously.

"I don't think you can with this type of portal." Aster looked closer at the beam. "Then again…nah, I don't think you can. Alright everyone, since most of you can't see it, the entrance is right here." Water lifted out of some grass that circled the beam, turning it black and creating a circle. "It's quite small, so go through at least two at the time."

"Who put you in charge?!" Hassleberry snapped.

"Do you want to knock some sense into Haru or not?" Hassleberry nodded. "Then shut up! Right, who's going first?" Nobody made a sign of volunteering, except Daisy, who raised a hand in the air. "Fine, Daisy and I will go first."

"Yay!" Daisy cheered, skipping to Aster's side. "I step into here, right?" Daisy asked, standing in the circle with Aster. Nothing happened. "Oh…kay. We're in. Now whaAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH?!!" Before Daisy finished her sentence, Aster and Daisy shot up into the sky and disappeared. Jaden looked up into the sky.

"We're expected to do that?"

"Looks like it." Melody said. "Stay with me, Chloe."

…

"You okay?" Aster asked, helping Daisy onto her feet.

"Yep. Aw, man. My leg warmers are dirty." Daisy moaned.

"Where are we?" Daisy and Aster had arrived in a meadow filled with long grass up to their knees, occasionally rising into hills, and an almost cloudless sky was above them.

"In any case it's nice and calm here. And here I was expecting a scary place filled with bad guys!" Daisy said happily.

"God, what's taking the others so long?" Aster wondered. "Don't tell me they chickened out."

"Maybe it's one of things where it takes you to a different place than the other." Daisy said thoughtfully.

"So Haru could be nowhere near us?!"

"Well, maybe."

"Oh, great!"

"You never know. They might land in the same place as us…eventually."

"This is a more awkward situation than when we were in the mirror."

"No. Nothing was more awkward than that."

_Snap!_

"What was that?" Aster said quickly.

"An enemy." Daisy slipped a blade from her purple shoulder bag. "OVER THERE!" She threw it into the grass, until the sound of metal meeting flesh was heard. "Yeah, got 'em."

"Daisy that could've been one of the others." A shadow rose from where the blade was thrown. "Sorry about that. Are you okay?"

"Uh…Aster." Daisy pointed at the shadow frantically. The shadow was in fact a monster that was ten feet in height, muscled and had clawed hands and feet. On top of his demonic head was a pair of horns a foot long. In his eye was the blade. It pulled the blade out and threw it onto the floor. The eye opened, and it was completely unharmed.

"I think I made it mad." Daisy panicked.

"Did it just regenerate?!"

"We can't beat this demon."

"I think it's a warlock."

"Whatever." The monster roared loudly, making the grass blow as if there were a breeze.

"Okay. Conference time. Any ideas Daisy?"

"Are heroes allowed to run?" Daisy asked. The monster attempted a swipe at Daisy with its clawed hand. "Yikes!"

"I won't tell if you won't!" Suddenly, an arrow whistled past his head and into the monster's forehead. It cried out in pain, before it glowed yellow and disappeared into dust.

"An arrow?"

"Is it Jesse?" Aster wondered, turning around to their saviour. "Hold on. That's not Jesse." A shadow stood several metres away from Daisy and Aster with a bow in its hands. The figure was regular human height, had foot long pointed ears, shoulder length hair, a figure similar to a girls and yellow fairy wings on its back.

"A fairy?" Daisy said. The figure looked to its right and flew off into the sky, leaving behind a trail of yellow dust.

"Hey hold up!" Aster yelled, but the person was gone.

"Who do you think it is?"

"I'm not sure, but I know it's a good person if she saved our lives."

"Should we…follow her?" Daisy asked.

"Since nobody's showing up, guess we should." Aster's phoenix wings appeared and he lifted several inches off the ground. "Hold on, Daisy." Daisy placed an arm around Aster's shoulders, who had a firm hold on her waist, and he flew after the fairy.

"Hey, it's just like that snowman movie isn't it? Except this time the snowman has wings." Daisy joked.

"Yeah, I guess it is. Oh, we might see the others from up here" Aster realised. "Keep your eyes open Daisy." Daisy blushed. "What is it?"

"Well…I just thought that…flying feels kinda…well y'know."

"You're right; flying does have an amazing feeling." Suddenly, Aster flew into the trunk of a tree, forcing the wings to disappear and they both fell onto a tree branch. "Falling stinks."

"Agreed." Daisy grumbled.

"There you are!" Jaden yelled. Aster looked down, and Jaden was on the ground with Hannah, staring up at them.

"What're you doing up there?" Hannah asked.

"Oh, y'know, just hanging around." Daisy answered, clinging onto the trunk and sliding down it to where Jaden and Hannah was, Aster close behind.

"Where's everyone else?"

"We thought you might've seen them."

"Well if we had we wouldn't have asked you."

"But we saw this fairy." Aster remembered.

"Fairy?" Hannah repeated.

"It saved us from this demon or warlock or whatever it is."

"Man, Haru's home is weird." Jaden said.

"WAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" Syrus screamed, running through the trees and hiding behind Aster.

"Something's after us!" Jesse yelled, running through the hedges so quickly, he tripped over a tree root and landed face first on the ground.

"Why didn't you attack it?" Daisy asked.

"I did." Jesse protested, sitting up onto his knees. "But it healed itself or something." The hedges behind Jesse rustled. "Yipe! It's here!" Jesse scrambled back onto his feet to where Syrus, Hannah, Aster, Jaden and Daisy stood. A shadow appeared in the trees.

"It's the same monster me and Daisy saw."

"We can take it. One on four."

"Er, actually Hannah there's six of us." Syrus said.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't count you, y'know no powers and all."

"I CAN STILL FIGHT!" Jaden yelled.

"Okay, one on four plus Jaden." Hannah corrected. Jaden growled in frustration. The monster raised a clawed hand in the air, until an arrow landed on its shoulder, making it glow yellow and disappear in the same way as the previous one.

"It's like before." Daisy said. A figure jumped from a branch and landed in front of the gang, still hidden in the shadows.

"So this is the chick that saved you?" Jaden asked. Aster nodded.

"Uh…hi." Aster started nervously, stepping forward. "I saw you after you saved me and my girlfriend. We didn't get to thank you, so thank you." The fairy cocked her head to the side. "We're not your enemy. We're just looking for our friend. Well, it's friends now. There are some guys who are going to invade this place pretty soon, so maybe you can come with us, where you'll be safe."

"Don't you think you're lying a bit about being safe?" Syrus muttered.

"Yeah, considering the attacks we've had." Jaden whispered.

"Shut up! I'm trying to get her on our side." Aster hissed. "So, anyway, you can help us find who we're looking for. His name's Haru." The fairy gasped. "Do you know him?" Aster could make out the fairy nodding. Aster began to walk closer to the fairy, who stumbled backwards against a tree in fear. "It's okay. We're not gonna hurt ya." The fairy stepped forward nervously. "That's it."

"Did you say…you were looking for Haru?" The fairy asked, speaking for the first time. "I know him. He's a very close friend I haven't seen since he was twelve."

"That's right." Aster nodded. "Well, I'm glad you trust us. What's your name?" The fairy stepped out of the shadows, making herself visible to the gang.

"Aiko," She said. "My name is Aiko." She had shoulder length brown hair with light hazel eyes. Her ears were pointed and were a foot long, and she had yellow fairy wings on her back. She wore white knee high boots and a tight dress down to her knees with a white long sleeved tailcoat jacket. In her hand, she clutched a dark brown wooden archer's bow.

"Aiko?" Aster repeated. "That's a pretty name." Aiko blushed, making Daisy scowl.

"Have I seen you before?"

"Er… I haven't seen you recently, so I guess not."

"Hold on. You're not him." Aster raised an eyebrow. Aiko scratched behind one of her ears, confused. "I mean, you look like him."

"Look like who?"

"What's your name?"

"Aster,"

"Never mind. You're not the person I thought you were. His name was James, and he saved our planet a few years ago."

"We know a James!" Hannah said cheerfully. "He's my uncle!"

"James was what he called a phoenix warrior. They're two people who-"

"Yeah I know. Protectors of the universe, abolish evil blah blah blah." Aster said in a bored tone. "I've heard it before. I'm one of them."

"Of course!" Aiko exclaimed. "That explains everything! You must be the next generation of phoenix warriors. You're the spitting image of James."

"My father used to be a phoenix warrior?"

"Yes."

"Does that mean my mom was one as well?"

"Well duh!" Aster exclaimed.

_But… why didn't he tell me?_ Aster thought.

"James was originally here to find a legendary prophecy about the phoenix warriors. I wasn't born then, but my family says it's to do with the phoenix fire." Aster's eyes widened.

_What do you know of the phoenix fire?_

_You are the boy if the phoenix._

_With it, she'll rule the universe._

"Hey, Aiko. What exactly is this phoenix fire?" Jaden asked.

"I'm not sure myself. It's a legend. Anyway, you said you were looking for Haru, right?"

"Yes."

"As a guardian of nature, I can sense the presence of stone wielders and others of my kind." Aiko looked down sadly. "Ever since "they" came, I haven't been able to feel the presence of any stone wielders. This woman with frost came with followers and destroyed them all."

"Nevara," Jesse said, narrowing his eyes.

"Who were the others?" Daisy asked.

"I'm not sure. One had cat ears. Another had many weapons. The rest had their faces hidden and wore cloaks."

"Catalina!" Syrus gasped.

"I think I've picked up Haru's presence." Aiko sighed. "I've missed him so much." Her wings twitched and she hovered in the air inches off the ground.

"Er…Aster can follow you, but we don't have wings, so I guess we'll have to walk." Syrus pointed out.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Aiko apologised. Jesse coughed behind his hand.

"Are you okay?" Daisy asked.

"I'm fine. I'm probably just getting a cold."

"Haru is this way." Aiko said, pointing to her right. "Let's go."

"Not so fast."

"That voice." Jesse whispered. He turned around, and Catalina stood in a clearing in the trees, wearing her purple leather outfit. The clearing dipped down a metre into the ground, making the floor dusty and covered with small pebbles.

"Catalina!"

"She's that girl with cat ears I saw." Aiko realised. Catalina giggled.

"I see you've got a new girlfriend, Jesse." Catalina said, looking at Aiko.

"Actually, I'm already involved with Selena." Jesse said awkwardly.

"Ready for round two?"

"Not today." Jaden yelled. He leapt down onto the gravel. "Today, you're facing me."

"And who are you exactly?"

"Jaden Yuki. Duellist, next king of games and best friend of three." Jaden aimed his ray gun at Catalina. "And you hurt one of them."

"Hmmm. A feisty one." Catalina purred. "Looks like I'm in."

"Aw, man. Jay's always had a temper, but Catalina's gonna kill him." Syrus said.

"You know Jaden. He always jumps head first into situations without thinking about the consequences." Aster smirked. "That's what I like about him."

"Go on, Jaden! Get that fur ball!" Hannah cheered.

"Don't worry about this, guys! It's gonna be easy. After all, Jesse destroyed Catalina's weapon." Jaden reassured.

"He destroyed that one. But I have another." Catalina said.

"You do?"

"Yes. Weren't you listening to Haru last time? I have many weapons."

"Oh, yeah! I forgot! Sorry guys, my bad!" Jaden laughed, rubbing the back of his head with a grin.

"Just fight, for god's sake!" Aster yelled.

"I'll kick your butt if you lose." Hannah shouted.

"No pressure?" Jaden asked.

"Enough of the chit chat." Catalina said. She outstretched her right arm. Her hand glowed purple, and a katana appeared in her hand. She clutched the handle. "I'll make you're suffering short, but no promises."

"Same here." Catalina dashed to Jaden, sword ready to attack.

_She's fast…_ Jaden thought. He ducked as the blade swiped at his head. _And so am I._

"Hold still." Catalina grunted, swiping at Jaden with the sword, but he avoided all the attacks effortlessly. However, after one swipe, a small device the size of a beetle fell from the sword and landed on the left of Jaden's neck, but he didn't notice. Jaden fired a pulsation at Catalina from his gun, hitting her in the stomach.

"Back off! You're breath stinks!" Jaden exclaimed. Catalina stumbled backwards, smirking. "Didn't that hurt?"

"Not really." Catalina shrugged. "Mind telling me what it felt like?"

"What're you…ARGH!" Jaden clutched his stomach. "What's going on?"

"You were extremely good at dodging me, but they were just distractions. I've planted a device on you. So now, as long as the device is attached to you, any damage I take, you take it instead."

"Yeah right! That shot just wasn't on target." Jaden snapped. He adjusted the gun to another setting. "But this is!" Jaden pulled the trigger, shooting flames from the tip.

"Alright! That's his best attack!" Hannah yelled.

"He almost killed Mokuren with that attack." Syrus remembered. Catalina stood calmly as the flames licked at her body before they disappeared.

"Oh come on!" Jaden yelled, exasperated. "That had to leave a mark! It was fire! FIRE!"

"Like I said, the marks shall appear on you." Catalina said. A ring of fire appeared around Jaden's feet.

"What?" The flames surrounded Jaden, burning his skin and clothes whilst he cried out in pain. When the flames faded away, Jaden stumbled and clutched his right arm.

"Do you believe me yet?" Catalina asked. Jaden glared at her. "No?" She raised her sword up to her left arm. "Maybe this will convince you." She pressed the blade onto her arm, but when she moved the sword away, there wasn't a scratch.

"AH!" Jaden gasped, clutching his arm. He removed his hand, and it was covered with blood from a shallow gash.

_Dammit._ Jaden thought. _Catalina's got me into a corner. If I attack her, I'll get hurt instead._

"Can't you fight without cheating just one time?!" Aster yelled. Jesse coughed behind his hand again, this time more furiously.

"Is everything alright?" Aiko asked. Jesse stopped coughing.

"It's cool. I'm okay." Jesse said.

_Jaden…_ Jesse thought.

"But wait a minute. If I get hurt, doesn't that mean you'll get hurt as well?" Jaden asked.

"Uh…no. I'm not the one with a device on my body." Catalina pointed out.

"Oh, right." Jaden said, sweat dropping.

"I'll prove it!" Catalina yelled. She dropped her katana onto the ground and crossed her arms in front of her, eyes closed. Seconds later, she opened her eyes, and they had changed from purple to bright yellow, with slits for pupils, and her hands had long claws on her fingertips. Catalina crouched down onto all fours and dashed to Jaden.

"Nice kitty." Jaden said nervously. Catalina snuck up behind Jaden, though he wasn't aware of it.

"Boo." She hissed into Jaden's ear.

"When did you get there?!" Jaden yelled. Catalina scratched Jaden across his face, leaving claw marks on his cheek.

"This is my strongest form. I can become a cat and gain their speed, sight, instincts and even their claws. You can't win. I was saving this for my rematch for Jesse, but you'll do." She pounced in the air towards Jaden, but he grabbed Catalina's wrists, making him tumble backwards across the floor, and he let go when he sat up on his knees. Catalina landed on her hands, somersaulted back onto her feet, and pounced towards Jaden once again. Jaden shot a light blue beam from the ray gun, encasing him in a bubble like force field, which Catalina bounced off on contact. She back flipped in the air and landed gracefully on the ground.

"No matter what you do, whilst in this form, I'll always land on my feet."

"Yak yak, is that all you do?" Jaden asked.

"Still confident? I've cut off all your moves, so all you can do now is defend yourself and run like a coward."

"I'm going to prove to you I'm not a coward by kicking your butt!"

"But how?"

_She's right._ Jaden thought. _I can't think of anything else to do._

"Uh oh! Somebody's getting distracted!" Catalina sang, kicking Jaden in his stomach and scratching his waist.

"This is so not good." Syrus said.

"Give up Jaden!" Jesse yelled. "If you don't, she'll kill you!"

"Come on, guys. Give up isn't even in our vocabulary. Isn't that right, Aster?"

"You said that?" Daisy asked, looking at Aster.

"Well, er, it was just a figure of speech. I didn't think Jaden would take it so literally." Aster said quickly.

_Jaden, you idiot._ Aster thought. _It's true that we never give up, but even I don't have any ideas on where that device is._

"Time for my ultimate attack." Catalina said. She crossed her wrists above her head at the same height as her cat ears. Her claws glowed purple and grew several inches longer, and Catalina's eyes flashed purple briefly. She lowered her glowing hands. "CAT KAMIKAZE!!" She roared, running to Jaden so quickly, she was just a purple blur.

_She's faster than before. I can't avoid her._ Jaden thought. Suddenly, he felt thousands of hands scratch him around his body, and a small purple whirlwind surrounded Jaden.

"What is that?" Aiko wondered.

"I don't know, but whatever it is, it's not good." Hannah answered. Catalina stopped running, her eyes returned to their purple colour and her claws retracted. Jaden stood as if glued to the spot, his clothes scratched and his skin covered in cat scratches, before he collapsed to the ground.

"Jaden!" Syrus cried. He pulled out his sword hilt. "That does it!" Catalina glanced at Syrus. He cringed and hid behind Aster. "You take it from here Aster."

"Why me?"

"You're a phoenix warrior."

"Well, so is Hannah. Go pester her for a change."

"I don't do requests."

"This fight is over." Catalina said to Jaden. She turned around and began to walk away.

"DON'T YOU DARE WALK AWAY!" Catalina's eyes widened and she turned around. Jaden had stumbled back onto his feet, wiping away some blood on his face with the back of his hand. "I'm not done yet."

_Impossible…_ Catalina thought.

"Jaden, what're you thinking?!" Jesse yelled. "You can't…" Jesse's eyes widened. He covered his mouth with his hands and coughed loudly.

"Jesse!" Aster gasped. "Are you alright?" Aster looked at Jesse's hands. "You're coughing up blood!"

"Is he okay?" Aiko asked.

"Man. I can't believe you're still injured from your last battle." Aster said.

"I've got it." Hannah sighed, grabbing Jesse's arm and walking several metres away from where the others stood.

"Why are you still standing?" Catalina asked Jaden, who lost his balance, but quickly regained it and glared at Catalina. "I've got nothing against you, so just go away."

"Yeah…well…I'VE GOT SOMETHING AGAINST YOU!" Jaden shouted.

"What?"

"You heard me. From what I've heard, you're just an evil witch who walks around as if everyone respects you, well they don't! They bloody hate you! And I hate you just as much!"

"Of course. That's what I'm here for."

"And most importantly, you hurt people just for fun! I don't know why, but it makes me want to puke!"

"Fine."

"Eh? What do you mean fine?" Jaden asked.

"Since you asked for it, I'll tell you why I am with Miss Miranda." Catalina fiddled with her cat tail. "Just like you, I was an ordinary high school girl. I had straight A's all the time and the teachers respected me. I always had friends and I was never alone. Until I sprouted these." Catalina made her cat ears twitch. "My cat ears and tail first appeared when I was at a graduation ceremony at the end of my high school days. I was going to go to a top university, and I got so excited, the cat ears popped out as soon as I stepped onto the stage. That was when my entire life came crashing down. I was the laughing stock, and even the teachers doubted me. Everyone stared at me not as a high school graduate, but as a freak. Sometimes, people would grab the top of my head to see if my cat ears were there. Then, Miss Miranda came. She respected me, both as a hybrid and a graduate. She looked after me as if I was her child, and I would dedicate my life to her. She realised this, and made me a fighter in her group of assassins. Sure, it was strange at first, but it was better than the people back home who thought of me as a monster, so I stayed by her side." She glared at Jaden. "Who are you to say that no one respects me?! Ever since that day I've never been respected, except for Miranda. That is why I fight. And you and that wretched phoenix boy will never harm her!"

"Whoa." Syrus said quietly.

"You've got to be kidding me." Jaden snapped. "Just because your graduation didn't work out, that's no excuse to kill others who haven't done anything wrong, especially me friend Jesse!"

"Why are you getting him involved?" Catalina asked.

"Because you saw him and wanted him dead! You don't even know him, and you still fought him. Jesse always hated losing battles, whether it was duelling or not. That's why he held on against you, even though he was coughing up blood!" Jaden pointed at Catalina. "You tried to kill him, and you're using that lame story as an excuse to beat him up! That's not a way to live for anyone." Jaden picked his gun up from the ground. "Now if you don't mind, we have a battle to finish."

"You really are stupid." Catalina laughed. "You honestly think you can defeat me? There's still a device planted on you, y'know."

"Oh, you mean this one?" Jaden asked, holding up a round metal circle with a flashing green light between his fingers. Catalina gasped.

"But how?!"

"You kinda helped me find it, so thanks. You see, when you attacked me with that cat catastrophe or whatever it is you call it, I was scratched almost all over the place, but never on my shoulders, so I kinda figured it would be there, because you didn't really want to destroy your weapon, do you?"

"He did it!" Syrus cheered.

"Since when did Jaden get a brain?" Aster muttered.

"Right then." Jaden pulled the trigger on his gun, and a purple beam shot the device, making it disappear. Catalina glowed purple briefly.

"What did you do?" Catalina demanded,

"I teleported that device onto you, so I know where it is and you don't." Catalina's eyes widened. "And by the way, that pulsation I got last time really hurt." Jaden aimed the gun at his stomach. "Wanna know what it felt like?" A pulsation shot Jaden in the stomach.

"OURGH!" Catalina grunted, clutching her stomach.

"Sweet! It worked!" Jaden cheered. "Now to end this." Jaden turned the dial on the gun, aimed it and fired bolts of electricity at Catalina, who screamed as she was surrounded by an electric storm. Catalina collapsed onto the ground, surrounded by electricity.

"You're good, but not good enough." Jaden said, the lightning around Catalina dying down.

"What just happened?" Jesse asked, walking back to the gang.

"Hey Jesse! Guess what! I beat Catalina!" Jaden yelled, waving at Jesse.

"Alright! Wait a go!" Jesse shouted back.

"Can we go now?" Syrus moaned. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Catalina get up onto her feet, covered with dirt. "Jaden look out!"

"Syrus what's wr-" Before Jaden could finish his sentence, Catalina hit him across the head with a rock, knocking him onto the ground face down. Catalina placed a foot on his head.

"He isn't officially the winner yet. I say he's down for the count."

"Get off him right now!" Hannah demanded.

"One…" Catalina started. "Two…three…"

"She's cheating!" Aiko gasped.

"Four…five…six…"

"Come on, Jay! Get up!" Aster yelled.

"Seven…eight…nine…" Catalina smirked. "Ten." She whispered. "Looks like I win. Jaden didn't get up, so that makes me the winner." She removed her foot from Jaden's head and began to walk away.

"Jaden!" Syrus yelled. Jaden looked up from the ground at Catalina.

"Time for me to go home." Catalina said. Suddenly, a rock was thrown at the back of her head. She turned around, and was met with a punch across her face, forcing her onto the floor. Jaden stood above her.

_He's alive?_ She thought.

"You're right." Jaden said. "I wasn't officially a winner, so I guess what I'm going to do next will make me a sore loser." Jaden picked up Catalina's katana sword. "I can't let you walk away knowing you'll kill more and more people." He raised the sword, ready to stab Catalina.

"Are you mad?!" Catalina exclaimed.

"Jaden, what're you doing?!" Syrus yelled.

"It's better for everyone if you're gone." Jaden lowered the sharp point of the sword towards Catalina, but before it was inches from her heart, it stopped. "Huh?" Jaden turned to his left, and Aster was standing next to him, holding his wrists. Aster eased the sword out of Jaden's hands and stabbed it into the ground, next to Catalina.

"Alright, Jaden. Just chill." Aster said calmly. "It's over." Aster let go of his wrists. Jaden glanced at the ground.

"Aster…" Jaden started. "I…I lost!" Jaden closed his eyes tightly, trembling. "I know this won't settle anything but…how am I going to face Jesse?"

"Don't worry about it." Jaden's brown eyes snapped open.

"Jesse?"

"So maybe Catalina was unfair, so what?!" Jesse asked cheerfully. "I say Jaden won!"

"Yeah, that kitty cat is just a rotten cheat!" Daisy cheered. Jaden stared at the gang, surprised.

"Come on, chin up!" Aster said, patting Jaden on his back. "This isn't like you." Aster grinned. "We all know who really won." Jaden smiled.

"Yeah…YEAH!" He yelled. "WOO HOO THAT WAS FUN! I WANNA DO IT AGAIN!"

"Alright, alright. Maybe later, okay?" Aster said. "You're still covered in cat scratches, y'know."

"Okay," Jaden muttered, climbing back over the ledge to Jesse.

"Come here." Hannah said. "I'll sort you out."

"Aster, come on! We've gotta go." Syrus shouted.

"Coming." Before Aster could walk away, Catalina giggled. "What's so funny?"

"It's not over yet." Catalina said, standing up. "You've still got to meet our newest recruit."

"I don't like the sound of that." Syrus whimpered.

"Come out." Catalina ordered, looking over her shoulders.

"I can't believe you lost to that slacker." A voice said from the trees.

_I know that voice…_ Aster thought.

"Technically, I didn't lose, rookie."

"But, it's time for me to step in." A man stepped out of the trees. A man wearing a burgundy jacket, a red t-shirt, black trousers and combed back blonde hair.

"Hey, you're that guy who's always after Meno!" Aster realised.

"Kid, the name's Armstrong." He grinned. "And speaking of, where is she?"

"Meno's not here with us." Aster prepared to fight. "But I'll take you on." Armstrong smiled. He reached behind him and pulled out a chain. He pulled it, and it got longer and longer, until a morning star the same height as him rolled across the ground and to Armstrong's side.

"Where'd that come form?!" Aster yelled.

_He's a charmcaster…_ Daisy thought.

"Time to crush you into frog paste!" Armstrong spun the spiked ball around his head, tugged on the chain, and it began to collide to where Aster stood, creating a huge dust cloud.

"Aster!" Syrus cried. When the smoke cleared, the morning star was jammed into the ground, inches from Aster.

"Oh my god that was so close." Aster muttered, freaked out by his near death experience.

"That shouldn't have missed." Armstrong grumbled. He looked at his right arm. Five picks were sticking out of it. "I see. Some brat saved him."

"Alright, Aster. You're jobs done." Daisy said, holding three picks in her hand in the style of claws.

"Daisy?" Syrus said.

"Er…I was just softening him up for you." Aster lied.

"Yeah sure." Daisy said airily, waving a hand in the air. She leapt down into the arena. "It was sweet of you, but I'll take care of this guy."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely." Daisy turned to Armstrong. "I'm looking forward to this. I haven't tried out some of my new toys yet. Besides, I feel guilty about you guys risking your life for me, so it's time I paid you back. I know this guy is a charmcaster like me, so I'm itching to take him on." She smiled. "Daisy Portrait the charmcaster is gonna explode."

**There you have it! That's chapter 12 for you! God, that took AGES! Anyway, I've finally uploaded one of my drawings. It's alright in my opinion, but it's on my Facebook page, so check it out. The link's below, so I'll be adding my "alright I suppose" drawings as I do them. And…I think that's about it. Stay tuned for the next chapter!**

**.?#?aid=2014190&id=1354585041**


	13. Chapter 13: Charmcaster Battle

**Hi guys! Whew, I've had two weeks work experience, and now there's half term! But then there's a maths exam after that. AW! Anyway, number thirteen's up and running. Oh yeah! I've also opened up a poll on my profile. I've done my selections, so now it's your turn! Ah! It's already been two months since I've updated my fanfiction! GOMENASAI! (Note: For those of you who don't know Japanese that means I'm sorry)**

Chapter 13

Charmcaster Battle

"So you're the one who saved him." Armstrong muttered. Daisy skipped into the centre of the clearing.

"The star comes in to save the day!" Daisy sang, waving her right hand holding three picks in the air. "Phew. I'm glad my picks worked."

"Should we do something?" Syrus asked Aster as he climbed back onto the ledge to the gang.

"Nah, she'll be okay. You'll never know what she can do."

"What's a charmcaster?" Aiko asked.

"Oh, you'll see." Aster said with a grin.

"Great, I can't believe my opponent is a girl." Armstrong grumbled. "Run along, girlie. If this is an act to impress your boyfriend, don't bother fighting. You'd still loose either way."

"WHY YOU LITTLE…" Daisy yelled, waving her arms in the air angrily. "THIS IS NOT A SET UP! HOW DARE YOU BE SO SEXIST?!" Catalina sweat dropped.

_She's got an even hotter temper than Hiruko and Hannah…_She thought.

"Suit yourself." Armstrong shrugged, clenching the chain to his giant morning star. Daisy's hand hovered over her bag. Armstrong tugged on the chain, lifting the spiked ball out of the ground almost effortlessly. Daisy dashed to her right.

"And they're off." Aster muttered.

"How can you be so calm?!" Hannah exclaimed. "Daisy's only just got those picks, and they're not enough to take down that iron ball!"

"You'll find out." Aster said patiently. "Those quills aren't the only weapon she possesses, y'know."

Armstrong watched as Daisy dashed around him in a circle so quickly she was almost a blur.

"Stop moving!" Armstrong grunted, hurling the ball towards Daisy. She jumped up into the air, planted a hand between two spikes and somersaulted over it before landing gracefully back onto the ground. Meanwhile, the spiked ball was heading straight towards the gang.

"EEEEEEK!" Aiko squealed.

"DUCK!" Aster yelled, jumping out of the way. Soon, everyone leapt out of the way of the spiked ball, some of them even crashing into trees. Jesse had jumped to his right, rolled across the ground and rammed straight into a tree head first. Suddenly, a passageway opened up in the trunk and Jesse fell inside it, before it closed behind him.

"Who the hell does he think he is lobbing that giant…er…thing over here?!" Jaden yelled. "Right Jesse?!" Jaden looked over his shoulder, but Jesse wasn't there. "Eh?"

"What's up?" Aster asked, noticing Jaden looking behind trees and whipping his head left and right. "Did you drop something?"

"Where's Jesse?" Jaden asked.

…

Somewhere else in the forest, Jesse sat up on his knees in front of a tree rubbing his head.

"Ow, god that hurt." He groaned. "First I had a poison attack, and now I'm hit on the head twice?!" Jesse stood up and turned around. "Uh…guys?" Jesse looked left and right. "Where'd that guy with the ball go? Wait a sec, it's not that they're not here, but more like I'm not there." Jesse sighed. "Great. I'm lost again. Oh, well. I guess I'll have to find my own way back." Jesse turned to his right and began to walk off when suddenly, he ran into something.

"OOF!" Jesse grunted, stumbling backwards. A firm grip caught him on his arm, preventing him from falling. Jesse looked up, and was met with the kind face of a man. This man had short messy raven black hair and bright green eyes, and he wore a red ninja outfit, complete with a headband tied around his head and a katana sword holder attached to a black tie belt. The man smiled.

"Are you alright young man?" He asked.

"Er…yeah. I'm fine I guess." Jesse answered.

"You're not from around here, are you? It's dangerous for you to be here on your own. There are warlocks about you know."

"Ah, don't worry about me. I can take care of myself." Jesse reassured. He realised the man still had a grip on his arm. "You can let go now, because your kinda hurting me."

"Oh, I'm sorry." The man apologised quickly, letting go of Jesse. "Why are you here?"

"I'm with my friends searching for someone who's gone missing. What about you? Do you live here?"

"No. I'm searching for someone as well."

"Like a ninja mission or something?" Jesse asked eagerly.

"You can call it that." The man looked closely at Jesse. "You remind me of someone."

"I do?" Jesse said, stepping backwards.

"Yes. My wife had an accent just like yours, and she was always insisting she could take care of herself."

"You have a family?"

"Not really. She passed away quite a long time ago."

"Oh…I'm sorry." Jesse apologised awkwardly.

"Don't be. It's not your fault. It happened many years ago. Thirteen I think. My town was invaded by rival ninjas, searching for an object. Then, just five minutes later, they left as quickly as they came. When I got back home, my wife was dead. And my son had found her dead before I did."

"You had a son?" The man nodded.

"He'd probably be your age by now. But I haven't seen him since that day, because, in order to protect him, I sent him to a city to live a life as a normal boy. I feared that the enemy would go after him as well, so I thought I should do what would be best. It's been so long, I doubt he even remembers me."

"You…haven't seen your son for thirteen years?" The man shook his head. "I know how you feel."

"What?"

"I…I never really grew up with a proper family, and about a year ago, I got some crystal beast cards from Industrial Illusions, and since I can see dual spirits, they became my family." The man stared at Jesse. "What is it this time?"

"It's your eyes." He grabbed Jesse's arm again and pulled Jesse closer to him; so close that their faces were just inches apart. "We're complete strangers, yet we opened up to each other as if we were good friends. Your eyes are so different, yet so similar to mine."

"I'm sure it's just a coincidence." Jesse said cheerfully. "Now I don't want to be rude, but I have to go and find my friends." The man let go of Jesse again.

"It's that tree there." The man pointed at an oak tree.

"How do you know?"

"I saw you fall out of it. You just pull that short branch down and you'll be back instantly."

"Thanks, partner." Jesse pulled down the short branch, and a doorway glowed yellow in the trunk. Just before he left, Jesse turned around to the samurai. "By the way, I'm Jesse."

"Alister," Jesse waved over his shoulder to Alister.

"Maybe we'll see each other again sometime." Jesse turned back around and as soon as he walked through the glowing doorway, it disappeared. Alister stared at the tree for several seconds.

_That boy…_ He thought.

"Now now, don't go getting attached to him. You know what happened to Kai when HE got attached to that charmcaster girl, don't you?" A voice said. Alister looked over his shoulder, spotting a shadow standing behind him.

"Come now, he was just a boy."

"That boy is our enemy." The voice snapped. "Out of all the other brats, he is known to be one of the strongest except for that damn phoenix. He even defeated Catalina, who is one of the most cunning of us all. That's because he possesses the glove of Rai." Alister's eyes widened. "Oh, interested now, are we? You know fully about that weapon, and that the glove chooses its master. Isn't that the weapon those enemies of yours used to be after?" Alister looked down.

"Yes, you are right. And I understand your concerns about me, but I wasn't planning anything about favouritism…" The shadow stepped forward, showing a woman with light blue skin, cold eyes and long light blue hair, wearing a short split wrap around dress and knee high Greek sandals. "Miss Nevara."

"Good boy Alister." Nevara smiled. A black cloud appeared underneath her. "I'm going on lookout for a while. Remember our objective. Haru has to die."

"Right." Alister nodded. Nevara floated off on her cloud into the sky, and Alister watched her leave until he couldn't see her anymore.

_Jesse…_ He thought. _You're the next heir to the glove? Who'd have thought it? But my sole mission since that awful day was to find the heir. In my family, whoever possesses the glove of Rai may be the strongest warrior ever known. If only we weren't enemies. But nonetheless, I shall aid you whenever I can, because that is what a samurai does._

…

"Stupid soldiers making me go through the portal on my own." Hassleberry grumbled, stomping through the woods. "I knew we should've taken Meno. If she'd bring out that evil side, she'd get rid of the enemy easily." Hassleberry stopped walking. An old man was sitting cross legged against a tree, wearing a brown cloak and had a long white moustache. The hood on his cloak was pulled over his head. "You okay, old man?"

"Don't mind me. I'm just a forest guide."

"Forest guide?" Hassleberry repeated. "Then have you seen a guy around here that looks like a girl? He's got this outfit covered in belts."

"I see lots of things." The old man shrugged.

"Did you see that?"

"No."

"Dammit. Well in that case what about someone with a white suit and a goofy looking kid with a red jacket?"

"Over there." The old man pointed to his right. Hassleberry began to walk away. "Hold it."

"What now?" Hassleberry groaned. The old man stood up.

"There are evil people here hunting down stone wielders. You're not one of them, are you?"

"No, but I do know one."

"Shame. Oh well. You could do with some extra protection, because you don't look very strong."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Hassleberry snapped. The old man threw an object the size of a marble to Hassleberry, who caught it. It was a small grey sphere.

"What's this? It better not be a joke." Hassleberry asked.

"Like I said, it's extra protection." The old man began to walk away. "It's a talisman."

"What?!" Hassleberry exclaimed looking up, but the old man was gone. "Then what is it and how do I use it?!" Hassleberry yelled to nobody.

…

"Whoa that was close!" Daisy yelled. "You okay guys?"

"We've had better." Aster answered.

"Jesse where are you?" Jaden yelled.

"I'm right here." Jesse said, walking out from behind a tree.

"Why didn't you show up earlier? I thought someone might've kidnapped you."

"Well they haven't."

"Shut up already!" Armstrong snapped. "Don't you want to witness me crushing your girlfriend?!"

"Actually, she's my girlfriend." Aster said.

"Right then. Let's have some fun." Daisy said. She began to run again, but this time she was so fast she was barely even visible.

"How's she doing that?" Syrus asked. "None of us are that fast."

"Where are you?" Armstrong hissed. The purple blur leapt up in the air and Daisy landed on his head on one foot.

"Here I am!" She sang, performing a neat pirouette on his head.

_She's having fun._ Aster thought, almost sweat dropping. _She's actually enjoying herself._ Aster saw something shine on Daisy's feet and, looking closer, there was a yellow sphere attached to each foot.

"Oh, so you noticed Aster?" Daisy said. "These are charms that make me run faster than the speed of sound. They're just perfect for sneak attacks and confusing the enemy." Armstrong growled. Daisy bent over her waist until she was peering into Armstrong's eyes. "Aw, did I upset you?" Daisy teased. She flicked Armstrong's nose and jumped off his head with a giggle and a forward flip.

"BRAT!" Armstrong roared, hurling the morning star towards Daisy again, but she jumped over the chain.

"It's just like jump rope." Daisy said cheerfully, reaching into her purple bag and pulling out three green knifes. Armstrong threw the morning star once again towards Daisy. She smirked. When the spiked ball was inches from her, she jumped up into the air, throwing her knives into the steel ball and landed on the ground again as the morning star fell onto the ground. Silence. Suddenly, the ball fell into a pile, cut up into small cubes.

"Wow!" Syrus gasped.

"She destroyed it?!" Catalina yelled.

"Wind blades. Green knives that can cut through the hardest metal. Pretty neat huh?"

"How many weapons does she have?" Aiko wondered.

"Beats me." Jaden shrugged. "I bet there's some even Daisy doesn't know about." Aiko stared suspiciously at Aster, who was too fixed towards the fight to notice her.

_His reaction to the search of the phoenix fire was bigger than anyone else's_. She thought. _I wonder what he knows about it._

"Aster. A word." Aiko said.

"Okay, but maybe later? I wanna watch this…" Aster trailed off. Aiko was staring at Aster with a look that told him that this was something very important. "Fine."

"This way." Aiko said, pointing into the hedges.

"Uh…okay." Aster said slowly. "Guys, me and Aiko are just nipping over here for a bit. If I miss the fight, let me know what's happened." Aster then disappeared into the hedges with Aiko.

"What did he say?" Jesse asked. Jaden shrugged, making an "I don't know" noise.

"Hmmm…what do these things do?" Daisy said thoughtfully, holding dark purple miniature bats in her hands. "Are they Crazy Bones or something?"

"What the…you don't even know what half these weapons are?!" Armstrong spluttered. Daisy grinned.

"Nope. I 'm clueless."

"I, however, know how to use mine." Armstrong pulled out a staff that had a smaller spiked ball on top and charged at Daisy.

"EEK!" Daisy squealed, throwing the small bats at Armstrong. In a puff of purple smoke, the metal bats transformed into real bats and flocked around Armstrong, stopping him in his tracks.

"What…where did these things come from?!"

"Oh, so that's what they do." Daisy said.

"OW! They bite!"

"Rookie, snap out of it! This is no time to loose a fight!" Catalina shouted.

"STOP CALLING ME ROOKIE!" Armstrong shouted back angrily. He swatted the bats into puffs of smoke once again with his staff. "I shall not be looked down upon, when I had looked down upon people my whole life."

"Then…why join some sorceress who will treat you like dirt?" Daisy asked. Slowly, Daisy's hand slipped into her purple bag.

"Because that brat with the crazy hair told me I could become stronger."

"What?!" Daisy gasped, eyes wide. "You mean…Magdala?"

"That's about right."

_Flashback_

_Armstrong flicked a cigarette down onto the ground and crushed it with his foot. He leaned on a wall in a dark alleyway, glancing at his wristwatch._

"_Midnight…" He muttered. He flexed the fingers on his left hand. He could still faintly hear the whirring of the machinery everytime his hand moved. "Damn bitch…"_

"_Excuse me…" Armstrong looked up from his robotic hand. A girl with long white hair, dark blue eyes and a yellow blouse and green skirt looked back at him._

"_What do you want brat?" Armstrong grumbled._

"_Why's your arm making funny noises? Are you a robot?"_

"_I'll tell you why! That bitch with this so called split personality did this to me." Armstrong yelled, clenching his fists._

"_You mean Meno?"_

"_Oh, so you're her friend, are you?"_

"_That girl is not my friend!" Magdala cried. "She is a threat to momma, and she must die."_

"_Hmm…so my enemy's enemy is my ally. Fancy that. But how can you kill a Kishido like her? You're just a squirt."_

"_I'll show you." An arm made of her white hair reached out behind her and grabbed an empty can of coke, bringing it in front of Armstrong's face. "Momma gave me this power. Because of this, I can kill anyone, even you if I'm told I can." The hairy hand clenched into a fist, crushing the can. The hand disappeared and the hair fell back around Magdala's shoulders. "Come with me, and momma can make you stronger."_

"_Stronger than that Kishido?" Armstrong asked._

"_Twice as strong as her." Armstrong thought for a moment._

"_Alright, I'll play along."_

"And so, here I am now." Armstrong finished.

"So basically you believed a squirt that was taught how to kill since she was created." Jesse said obnoxiously.

"That's beside the point. I only joined so I could finally beat that Kishido. But to do that, I have to destroy this girl."

"Don't sound so sure of yourself." Daisy said throwing a handful of small spheres at Armstrong's feet. They sunk into the ground, and seconds later thick green vines wriggled out of the ground like snakes and wrapped themselves around Armstrong. "That should hold you for a while." Daisy held three picks in her right hand. "Now for the coup de grace."

SMASH!

Mechanical parts scattered on the ground, and some of the vines fell onto the floor. Daisy's eyes widened. Armstrong's left arm was gone up to his elbow.

"AAAHHHHH!!! I'M SO SORRY! ARE YOU OKAY?! I DIDN'T MEAN TO BREAK YOUR ARM OFF, I SWEAR I DIDN'T! I WAS JUST PLANNING TO STOP YOU FROM MOVING FOR A WHILE! I SWEAR TO GOD IT WAS AN ACCIDENT!" Daisy panicked, waving her arms up and down frantically. Armstrong sweat dropped.

_I don't get this kid at all…_He thought.

"Don't apologise for breaking his arm off!" Jaden shouted.

"Why did your arm break off? I thought the vines were to hold, not to snap." Daisy asked, still panicking. She suddenly stopped. "Wait a sec. There's no blood coming out."

"Weren't you listening to what I said? That bitch Meno did this to me."

_Meno_? Daisy thought. _She'd really…cut someone's arm off?_ Armstrong's stump glowed white. "What's going on?"

"Miranda gave me more than just a bag of toys. And because you destroyed my arm, you're about to find out!" Suddenly, red octopus tentacles burst out of his stump, the suction cups oozing with ink. "She gave me a new arm. Now, let's see how you can defeat this!"

…

"Aiko, why are we heading all the way out here?" Aster asked, pulling apart grass twice his height. "Couldn't we wait?"

"No." Aiko answered without turning around and walked through more long grass, Aster following. "This is more important than a small fight." She stopped. Aster's foot got caught in some grass that wound around his ankle, and he landed flat on his face.

"Ow." Aster moaned, standing back up again. "I'm a phoenix warrior, but I'm still a bit clumsy. I'm sorry." Aster apologised grinning.

"I don't understand you." Aiko said.

"Eh?"

"Pardon me for intruding, but I read your mind when I saw you with Daisy. Your father went missing, along with your mother who had tried to kill you. You were bullied. You even wanted to die once. For ten years, you were an orphan, and your mother is your enemy. She sent enemies after you, and she tortured you physically and mentally." Aiko turned to face Aster. "Why? Why aren't you living under a dark cloud? How can you keep smiling like that?"

"You just spoke my mind. Because…those are questions even I can't answer. But…I think it's because I just got sick of being sad all the time. Sometimes, you have to focus on what you have rather than what you don't. Besides, if there's anyone who's living under a dark shadow, I'd say it's Haru." A gentle breeze blew through the grass as Aiko stared at Aster, amazed.

_Haru... under a dark shadow?_ Aiko shrugged the thought off as she remembered why she wanted to talk to Aster.

"There's something else that bothers me." Aiko began. "When I mentioned the phoenix fire, you looked more shocked than anyone else. This has leaded me to believe that you know something about it."

"Well sorry, but I don't know a thing. I've heard of it, and our enemies keep calling me "boy of the phoenix" or something. Wait a minute. This is all because I'm a phoenix warrior." Aster slammed a fist into his palm. "That's it, isn't it? That must be why everyone's after me and not Hannah. Maybe it's because I'm linked to this phoenix fire somehow." Aiko looked down. "That explains why I'm-"

"That's not what I meant." Aiko grabbed Aster's right wrist. "Your connection with the phoenix fire is putting you and what could be the whole universe in danger. You and your friends have no idea how much power the phoenix fire has. In the wrong hands, the phoenix fire can be used for diabolical evil, and when that happens, there shall be eternal darkness."

"Aiko, cut it out, you're scaring me." Aster said. Quick as a flash, Aiko pulled off the manacle on Aster's wrist. "Hey! Give that back! This isn't funny!"

"I have to be sure if you really are linked to the phoenix fire. But there is no other way to check. That's why…I'm sorry."

"Huh?" Aiko turned away from Aster. Several seconds passed by before she spun around and pushed Aster through the grass behind him.

_What's happening?_ Aster's eyes widened as he was forced to look down. Below him was a long cliff that was so deep, it seemed bottomless. And Aster was about to fall through it!

…

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

Aiko looked down at the ground sadly. She really didn't want it to come to this, but it was the only way. She walked through the grass Aster was pushed through moments ago. Aiko stared down at the bottomless cliff.

_Now we shall see if there really is a connection…_

…

"Whoa!" Daisy yelled leaping into the air as a tentacle crashed into the ground. She landed on a tree branch. "I've already been trapped by tentacles once, and I'm not gonna let it happen again." She jumped off the tree branch as another tentacle destroyed the tree branch. A third grabbed her ankle, swung her around the air and let go, forcing her to ram straight into a tree.

"Daisy!" Syrus cried.

"Are you okay?" Jaden asked. Daisy sat up on her knees.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She threw her picks at Armstrong, but they were swatted away effortlessly by a tentacle, and the picks became jammed in a tree trunk.

"It'll take more than quills to harm me." Armstrong said, pulling out one of the picks in the tree with a tentacle and throwing it at Daisy. It whistled the air past Daisy's left arm and became jammed in another tree trunk. A scratch appeared on Daisy's shoulder, which she clutched.

"They've been at this for ten minutes." Jesse said, looking at his wristwatch.

"Where'd Aster and Aiko go?" Jaden asked, looking over his shoulder.

_Shoot…_Daisy thought, biting her knuckle_. How am I gonna get around this?_ She stuffed her hand into her bag. _C'mon, give me some luck._ She pulled out her hand, and she held two silver objects shaped like wings. _These'll do._

"Now to finish you off!" Armstrong yelled triumphantly. Daisy threw the silver charms into the air, and they immediately glowed white. "What now?" The charms fell down behind Daisy, and white wings appeared on her back, immediately lifting her off the ground.

"Unbelievable." Jesse gasped.

"She can fly?" Syrus said.

"These are some of my most powerful charms. I haven't used these before, so I'm just going to give 'em a little test drive." The wings began to flap frantically. After a few seconds, a powerful gust of wind blew through the clearing and part of the forest. "Wind element: GUST!" A tornado spun through the clearing, uprooting many trees and getting tem caught in the storm.

"What does she think she's doing?" Syrus yelled, clinging onto a tree.

"Quit hogging." Jaden said, clutching the same tree as Syrus.

"She's winning, that's what." Jesse answered. Armstrong made two of his tentacles cling onto a tree each that was still in the ground, but even they couldn't escape the powerful wind, and they too were uprooted, forcing Armstrong off the ground and into the centre of the tornado. Daisy was metres away from him.

"I'll sever those stupid tentacles off your arm." Daisy said. Two dozen feathers stood out on her wings. "FEATHER DARTS!" The wings shot out feathers and they sped towards Armstrong. A few of them successfully sliced off the tentacles like cheese.

"BRAT!" Armstrong roared.

"This is what happens when you're with the wrong people." Daisy shrugged. Six picks flashed in her hands. "But if you change your mind, don't come crying to me." She threw the picks at Armstrong, sticking straight into his chest.

"ARGH!" The wind died down, and Armstrong fell onto the ground, losing consciousness in the progress. Daisy floated down onto the ground, and the wings disappeared backs into their silver winged form. Daisy placed them back into her bag.

"Stay tuned for more of Daisy Portrait's fights, folks. Because there's plenty more where that came from." Daisy said happily.

"You did it!" Syrus cheered

"Awesome!" Jesse yelled

"Ha! Piece of cake." Daisy said, linking her hands behind her head.

"What about that scratch?" Hannah asked.

"Oh, right." Daisy reached into her bag, and in her hand she held a plaster. Daisy pulled off the wrapping and placed it over the scratch. "That should do. Hey Aster! Did you see how I…" She trailed off. "Where is he?"

…

"WHAT THE HELL IS SHE THINKING?!" Aster yelled, falling down the cliff.

_I've gotta fly out of here…_ Aster reached towards his right wrist, but there was no manacle.

"Aw, hell! She took it off!" Aster remembered. "Right. I'll just have to grab onto something." Aster spotted a ledge coming closer towards him. "There!" Aster reached out to grab it, but as soon as he did, it crumbled, and Aster began to fall again. "Dammit!"

_Looks like I'm dead. Sorry guys…_

"_It's almost time."_

"Who said that?" Aster asked. The darkness suddenly glowed white, and Aster landed…on his feet. "Where am I? Wasn't I falling before?"

"_We are inside your mind. It is now almost time for you to obtain my full power."_

"Oh, yeah. You're that spirit that helped me out against that shape shifter, right?"

"_I have some questions for you."_

"Oh…kay." Aster said slowly. A glowing red person appeared floating behind Aster, but he didn't notice. "Why do I have this feeling someone's…AH!" The figure whooshed towards Aster, and he grabbed its wrists just as he turned around. He gasped.

"Mom?" The figure had morphed into a look alike of Miranda, her mouth curved into a thin smile.

"_Answer me. Why do you fight? You know the enemy could be even stronger than you, and you know she is your mother. Aren't you afraid?"_

"Heh. What a silly question." Aster started, struggling to hold the fake Miranda back. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared. But when I fight, I remember something that makes me forget my fear. I have friends to protect."

"_Friends?"_ Miranda disappeared into red smoke, slipping through Aster's grasp. It danced into the air and morphed into another person. Daisy. _"Is it this girl? Answer me. Is she the reason you fight? And what about you're other friends? They are fighting as well. Why do you want to protect them? Is it love for them, or self interest?"_

"Hmmm…" Aster said thoughtfully. "That's a tough one." He was silent for a few seconds. Aster grinned cheerfully. "I don't want to see my friends cry. I don't want them to be sad or lonely." Fake Daisy stared at Aster, speechless.

"_That's your reason?"_

"I'm not sure if you'd call it love or friendship or whatever it is. I'm still new to that stuff." He gave the fake Daisy a peace sign. "But that's all I've got." Fake Daisy chuckled until she burst out laughing.

"_HAHAHA! YOU'RE HILARIOUS MASTER! WHEN NAIVEITY REACHES THAT LEVEL, IT'S ALMOST A TREASURE! YOU'LL LIVE A LONG LIFE!"_ Fake Daisy calmed down eventually. _"Well done. You have answered my questions well. So now, you can use my power. It may take a while to get used to it, but I'll aid you out of this cliff."_ The white light disappeared, and Aster was once again falling down the cliff.

"Son of a… huh?" Aster saw that the phoenix in his pocket was glowing. The glowing rose out of his pocket and became larger and larger, gradually taking shape of an orange bird with wings eleven metres long. It was a phoenix. It gave a shrill scream and dived down underneath Aster, catching him on its back and flying up towards the top of the cliff. "Whoa!" Aster yelled, clinging to the phoenix's feathers. "What's going on?" In seconds, the phoenix flew into the blue sky and out of the cliff. It dived down towards the ground and landed feet first gracefully. The phoenix disappeared, and Aster fell onto the ground on one knee. He stood up, confused.

"Er…what just happened?" Aster asked out loud. Aiko peered at the puzzled Aster through the long grass.

He doesn't even know what kind of power he has? She thought.

"Aiko I know you're there." Aster said. Aiko walked out of the grass.

"I'm sorry. I just wanted to be certain if you were linked."

"Well, you have a funny way of showing it." Aiko looked down at the ground.

"I'm sorry. I really am. I do like you Aster. Really I do."

"Pfft." Aster snorted behind his hand.

"What's so funny?"

"You really don't know a thing about friendship do you?" Aster smiled. "For starters, you don't push your friends off cliffs. If you do, you'll have a hard time gaining their trust."

"So that means…"

"Yeah, you're cool for now. Can I have my-"

"Oh, right." Aiko handed Aster the manacle, and he slipped it back onto his wrist.

"Should we head back? The others are probably wondering where we are."

"Okay." Aiko gasped.

"What's wrong?" Aster asked.

"There's a stone wielder nearby." Aiko answered.

"Haru's here?" Aster walked backwards slowly. He stopped after several paces. Suddenly, his right hand shot into some long grass.

"OW!"

"Ah ha! Gotcha!" Aster pulled out Haru by his ponytail.

"Get off! That hurts!" Aiko gasped.

"Haru… It's really you. I don't believe it. After so long, you're finally here."

"Aiko?"

"Er…you know each other then?" Aster asked.

"Yes. We were friends when we were just kids." Haru answered.

"Oh…anyway." Aster whacked Haru behind his head.

"OW! What was that for?" Haru snapped, rubbing his head.

"Running off without telling us. What were you thinking?"

"I asked you beforehand, and you all said no, so when that portal opened, I just had to go." Haru glanced down at the belts on his boots. "I want to talk to my sister. Maybe I can still get through to her somehow, even if it's just a little."

"Okay." Aster nodded.

"What?"

"I said okay. If that's all you want to do, then we'll do it. We'll help. It's what friends are for, right?" Haru's eyes widened.

"_You really don't know a thing about friendship, do you?"_

"Oh…okay." Haru said hesitantly.

"Well, let's go then!" Aster exclaimed, grabbing Haru's hair and walking back to the others.

"Ow! Cut it out! That hurts! I can walk myself there, y'know. I'm not going to run away again!" Aiko followed the two boys, deep in thought.

_Why does he want to talk to his sister?_ She thought. _Did something happen?_

**TA DA! Sorry that took so long. And just to warn you guys, I've got GCSE's coming up soon, so it might take a while to get the next chapter up. Anyways, hope you liked this chapter. See you l8r!**


	14. Chapter 14: Meet Mori

**HI GUYS! By the way, I just want to take a moment to say thanks for reading my stories and reviewing some of my chapters. They really encourage me to write more chapters for your enjoyment. Oh yeah, and there's the polls that I put up. Anyways, enjoy!**

Chapter 14

Meet Mori

"Where's Aster gone to?" Daisy wondered. "Did he even see me beat that Armstrong?"

"Sorry we took so long. Did I miss anything?" Aster asked, scrambling through the bushes.

"Where have you been then?" Daisy said huffily.

"Didn't you tell her, Jaden?"

"Tell her what?"

"YOU IDIOT!" Aster yelled, hitting Jaden behind his head. "You weren't even listening were you?"

"Listening to what?" Jesse asked.

"You too?!" Aster exclaimed. "Anyway, Aiko wanted to er…talk to me. Besides, we found Haru."

"You did?! Where is he?"

"Not telling you."

"Eh?"

"Everyone's hunting Haru, right? We don't want to give away where he is. Especially to those…" Aster indicated the clearing, but Armstrong and Catalina were gone. "Hmph. Guess its safe then. Haru, you can come out now." Haru parted two hedges out of the way and revealed himself.

"Oh thank god." Jesse sighed. "What the hell were you doing?!" He yelled.

"Well we came here to find him and we did, so let's just go home." Jaden said.

"No." Haru said. "There's something I have to do here, and I'm not going to let anything get in the way of it."

"So if you don't like it, go home." Aiko said, walking through the hedges also.

"Hmmm… maybe we should help him out." Hannah said.

"After all, he is on the most wanted list. And he can't do this alone, so I'm in." Jesse said.

"Me two." Syrus yelled.

"Me three." Jaden yelled.

"In other words, we're helping too." Daisy said.

"Er…" Haru started. "I… I don't know what to say."

"Thank you would be a start." Daisy piped up.

"Well…URK!" Aiko suddenly threw her arms around Haru's neck.

"Where've you been these past six years? You didn't write to me, or tell me you were okay. I missed you so much. You had me worried sick."

"Sorry." Haru muttered. "Can you let go please? I can't breathe." Aiko slid down onto the ground again.

"Anyway Haru, where's your brother?" Aiko asked. "I thought that since you were here, he wouldn't be that far behind." Haru gasped. "And what about your parents? Are they well? They went missing along with you and Sekio. Where did you go? And why do you need to talk to your sister anyway? Did something happen? I know she was banished and all, so does this mean you're trying to find her and bring her back to the family like you said you would when we were kids? And…HEY!" Haru spun around and ran off into the woods. "Was it something I said?"

"Aiko…" Aster started, fidgeting with his jacket awkwardly. "Well…the thing is… Haru's brother is dead." Aiko gasped. "And his sister is my mother's second in command, and she wants to kill all stone wielders, including him."

"What about his parents?" Aiko dared to ask.

"Both dead. I heard from Hassleberry that they were killed in front of him by Nevara when he was twelve."

"Seriously?!" Jaden exclaimed.

"So that means…" Aiko said.

"Yeah. Haru hasn't got any family left. He's just like how I used to be."

"An orphan…" Aiko whispered. She buried her face in her hands. "I'm so heartless. I wasn't even thinking when I said those things." Daisy wrapped an arm around her shoulders, careful not to bend her wings.

"It's not your fault." Daisy reassured. "You didn't know." Aiko shrugged off Daisy's arm and began to hover on the ground. She flew off into the forest, following where Haru ran. "Where are you going?"

"Where do you think?" Aiko yelled.

…

"Haru!" Aiko called out. "Where are you?" She landed on the ground beside a tree trunk. A few trees away, Haru was sat with his back to a tree and his knees drawn up.

_I understand now what Aster meant when he said Haru was living under a dark shadow. I might not even be able to cheer him up, but I just want him to know its okay._

"Forget it"

"What?" Haru lifted his head slightly, but didn't turn to face Aiko

"What happened back there…just forget it. It's nothing to do with you."

"But…if you'd only told me what happened, you wouldn't have run off. Why are you always shutting yourself off from everyone else?" Aiko kneeled down next to Haru. "It doesn't help when you do things like this. You've…you've changed."

"I had to. It was the only way to survive where I was. I always had my brother by my side, but now that he's gone I've…I've got nothing left."

"You've got me. And you've got these new friends. How's that nothing?" Haru turned away from Aiko.

"Friends?"

_Flashback_

"_Aster, get off!" Haru snapped, pulling Aster's arm off his hair. "There really was no need for that."_

"_I had to make sure you didn't run away again." Aster shrugged._

"_Ha! Don't you trust me?"_

"_If you keep this up, then no." Aster sighed. "Look, if you want to be part of our group, you'll have to prove we can trust you…and that you can trust us."_

"_Trust? Friendship? Are they your favourite words?" Haru exclaimed._

"_Hmmm….y'know you're a lot like Aiko."_

"_Oh?"_

"_No offence but, like her, you don't know that much about friends do you?" Haru turned away._

"_You're right. I don't. I mean, I did know about them years ago, but back when I worked for Miranda, everyone distanced themselves from others unless they were partners in missions and assassinations. My partner was always Sekio, so we were always together. The fact that my brother was always with me…" Haru closed his eyes. "It made life there just a little bit more bearable. Whenever I was sad or scared, he'd always tell me it's alright. Thinking about it, I really miss him saying that to me. Right now, what I want to hear the most right now is him say those words. More than ever, I want to hear them."_

"_Dude…" Aster muttered. "I understand now why this whole friendship thing is new to you. I'm still new to it myself." Haru opened his eyes and looked at Aster. "And you know what I say? I'd say now's a good time to get back into gear with this stuff. It doesn't help shutting yourself off and disappearing without saying anything. Even though you're a master of stone, you're still a beginner at friendship." Aster parted two tree branches out the way. He looked over his shoulder to Haru. "Besides, if you don't, what are you going to do if a girl says she likes you?" Aster walked through the branches and into the forest, leaving Haru alone._

"_Haru? Haru!" Aiko parted some long grass out the way and poked her head out of them. "There you are. Did you find the exit?"_

"_Huh? Oh! Yeah we did!" Haru stammered, still slightly dazed. "It's er…it's this way."_

"I'm so pathetic!" Haru yelled, slamming a fist into the ground. "I'm stronger than I was before, but I'm still so weak. I'm clinging onto memories that are hardly relevant, and my only family left wants to make sure I'm dead and gone. Why am I like this? Sometimes I…I wish I wasn't even a stone wielder at all!"

"Haru…I know you've experienced a lot in the past few years. But…" Tears filled Aiko's eyes. "I just wish you'd open up to me a little more…as your friend." Aiko buried her face in her hands and began to cry. Haru grimaced.

"No wait. I'm the one who's supposed to be down. Not you. Oh come on, Aiko." Haru hung his head. "Don't cry." Haru whined. Aiko wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her jacket.

"But you're wrong Haru. You're not pathetic. And you're not weak. You're stronger than you think. I admire you."

"Huh?" Aiko leaned closer towards Haru.

"I always wanted to be a stone wielder. Compared to you, my powers are nothing. All I can do right now is fire arrows, because I've only just obtained the ability to transform into this." Aiko plucked a little bit of her skirt to indicate her costume. "I already can't stand having this power. I'd much rather have your powers. I like you!" Aiko's eyes widened after realising what she just said. "I mean…uh…I want us to be together like we used to be." Haru edged away from Aiko nervously, blushing.

"_Besides, if you don't, what are you going to do if a girl says she likes you?"_

"It's not that special being a stone wielder." Haru muttered.

"Wha…"

"I er…I think you look good in that outfit. It suits you." There was a long silence.

"Haru's got the hots!" Aster sang loudly, bursting out from behind the tree the two of them were next to.

"WAAAHHH!" Haru yelled, jumping back onto his feet. "Where did you materialise from? And what do you mean I've got the hots?!" Aster looked at Haru closely, who was still blushing.

"Yup. You've got the hots."

"Why you little…" Haru started. Jaden peered out from behind the same tree seconds later. The first sight he saw was Haru grappling Aster in a headlock and Aiko frantically panicking.

"Um… I kinda wanna ask and I also kinda don't."

"Hi, Jaden." Aster said cheerfully. "I've found Haru. Again."

"Nothing to worry about. I'm still in one piece." Haru said.

"Oh that's good. Guys! I've found them!" Jaden yelled to his left.

"Now where was I? Oh, yeah!" Haru continued to wrestle with Aster.

"Ow, that hurt! What'd I do to deserve this?"

"Let me think. You pulled my hair twice, and you burst out of nowhere claiming something ridiculous."

"If you deny it, it's true. You do have a thing for her."

"That's the most stupid thing I've ever heard!"

"Ha ha!" Aiko laughed. "You're still the same as you used to be, Haru. Huh?" Aiko looked over her shoulder.

"What's wrong?" Aster asked, pulling himself out of Haru's headlock.

"I thought I sensed something. Or two something's. But, they're in one body. And whatever it is, one of them is pure evil." The hedges began to rustle and a shadow began to walk through them.

"Brace yourselves." Aster warned, his hand hovering over the stopper in his water skin.

"Aster?" Meno stepped out of the hedges, picking twigs out of her cardigan.

"Meno?" Aster relaxed his guard. "What're you doing here?"

"I…I got worried. You were gone for a while, so I went looking for you."

"Meno… you know it's dangerous for you to go outside." Aster placed his hands on her shoulders. "I left you there to make sure you were okay. If you were taken to the army, I'd never forgive myself."

"I'm sorry…" Meno said quietly, her eyes shining. "But I can't go back there either. A policeman came in, and I got scared, so papa told me to follow you."

"It's alright…" Aster pulled a twig out of Meno's blue hair. "You can stay with us. Just be careful, okay?"

"Alright."

"Hold on a minute. Did you say…a policeman was over at the flat?" Jaden asked. Meno nodded.

_So she was the one I sensed._ Aiko thought. Her eyes widened. _That means..._

"She's a Kishido." Aiko gasped, pointing at Meno.

"Yeah, we know." Aster said.

"Aren't you afraid? She'll kill you."

"Nah, that's just her other side." Jaden reassured.

"A word of advice." Aster started. "Don't hit her on the head."

"How did you know I was a Kishido?" Meno asked.

"I have the ability to sense many supernatural beings. Right now, I can sense warlocks, demons, stone wielders, others of my kind and Kishido's."

"Wow, that's handy." Aster said. Little did the gang know that Armstrong was peering at them through a bunch of hedges.

_Indeed…_Armstrong thought with a grin.

…

"Rough day?" Hiruko asked, lounging on a rock as Catalina walked into a clearing, scowling. "I'll take that as a yes then."

"That rookie is hopeless!" Catalina yelled, scratching a tree trunk with her claws. "Not only did he lose a fight with that charmcaster, but now he's spying on them. I don't know why Miss Miranda even took him in. What's she thinking?"

"That wasn't what I meant." Hiruko twirled a strand of blonde hair around his finger. "I can tell by looking at your clothes. You lost a fight again, didn't you?"

"I didn't lose!" Catalina snapped. "He was down for the count."

"Was it with your boyfriend?" Hiruko teased.

"Jesse is not my boyfriend!" Catalina yelled, grabbing Hiruko's shirt. "Anymore wisecracks from you and I'll knock your teeth out!"

"Go ahead. I'll sue you for child abuse."

"You little…"

"Catalina," Catalina gasped and turned around to be faced with Alister, who had appeared directly behind her. "You shouldn't lose your temper like that. You're no better than Hiruko."

"Oh, m-m-master Alister." Catalina stuttered, letting go of Hiruko.

"Master?! He's not second in command." Hiruko said.

"You sure are stupid." Mokuren said, teleporting in a flash of green light to sit on a tree branch. "We all know Miss Nevara is the second in command, but Master Alister is the only one she truly trusts. After all, he is one of the strongest. In fact, he might even be a match for the phoenix boy."

"You mean…he can beat Aster?"

"It's likely." Mokuren shrugged.

"Enough of the introductions, Mokuren." Alister said calmly. "There's a more serious matter at hand. For example…" He turned back to Catalina. "Catalina, I hear you lost another fight."

"I didn't lose." Catalina grumbled.

"You say that, but is that the truth? You lost to the boy in the red jacket, who hasn't even fought yet until now, and he beat you, a superior."

"You lost to THAT goofy kid?" Hiruko exclaimed, sliding down the rock and sitting on the ground cross legged. "No way. Things are getting more fun now."

"You call losing fun?" Mokuren questioned.

"Well, that's not really fun at all." Hiruko smirked. "It's just that…this team is stronger than I thought. Dino boy beat not one, but two stone wielders. Then there's the sound warrior who destroyed the castle. The phoenix boy beat four of our strongest. That kid who controls light outsmarted Catalina, who is one of the most intelligent in our assassins. She was defeated again by an idiot. Plus, I heard the phoenix boy's charmcaster girlfriend beat the new recruit." Hiruko held up six fingers. "Six kids. We were undefeated for years, and then this lot came along. Like I said, this whole thing is getting more and more fun."

"Good point there." Mokuren muttered. "I want to get a piece of Jaden myself after what he did to me."

"I appreciate your concern, Master Alister." Catalina said, turning away. "But I won't lose again."

"How do you know?" Catalina turned back to Alister. "You may face one of the others, and how do you know you won't lose to them?" He placed a hand on the side of Catalina's face. "You do know what happens after three strikes, right? And I wouldn't want my little kitten to get hurt."

"Flattery won't get you anywhere." Catalina hissed. She shrugged off Alister's hand forcefully and stepped backwards away from him. "And stop calling me kitten."

"Come on. I was only being friendly. You don't have to hurt my feelings."

"That's it I'm out of here." Catalina leapt into the tree tops and out of sight.

"Shouldn't we go after her?" Mokuren asked.

"Nah. Better leave Miss Grumpypuss alone for a while."

"I heard that Hiruko!" Catalina yelled from a distance.

"Good! You were supposed to!" Hiruko yelled back.

"Grow up will ya." Alister muttered.

"What happens after three strikes anyway?" Hiruko asked. Mokuren sighed.

"You are such a head case. Mokuren raised a finger. "First strike: You face a punishment." Mokuren lifted a second finger. "Second strike: Nothing happens, except you are given a warning." He raised a final finger. "Third strike: Death." Hiruko's eyes widened. "Don't tell me you didn't know that after being with us for two years. You should have figured that out after Sekio's death." Mokuren leapt down from the tree branch and onto the ground. He began to walk away with his hands in his pockets.

"Hold on. Sekio only got two strikes. How could he have had a death sentence?" Hiruko demanded, standing up. Mokuren stopped walking. He looked over his shoulder.

"His third strike was loosing. The second and first were refusal of a mission." Mokuren turned back around and disappeared in a flash of green light.

"Why are you concerning yourself with rules, Hiruko?" Alister asked. "And what about your sister? Where is she?" Hiruko shrugged.

"That girl always does whatever she wants whenever she wants. She never changes." Alister narrowed his eyes.

"You're convinced nothings different, so why…do I detect feelings of doubt?" Hiruko's eyes widened. "Not only is Mariko changing, but you are as well. Almost as if…you want to help the enemy." Hiruko clenched his fists. "You know we don't tolerate traitors."

"I am not a traitor!" Hiruko snapped, turning sharply to Alister. "And I can tell you're up to something as well, so you have no right to tell me what to do!"

"Do I?" Alister asked. "We all have our secrets Hiruko. You have yours, and I have mine. Let's keep it that way, okay?" Alister disappeared in a red blur at the speed he was running at, leaving Hiruko alone. He looked at the floor.

_Alister's right… _Hiruko thought. _My sister is different._

_Flashback_

"_What do you want, big brother?" Mariko asked sleepily, sitting up on a sofa rubbing her eyes. Hiruko stood behind the sofa, staring down at his younger twin._

"_Have you recovered well from your battle with phoenix boy?"_

"_Of course."_

"_Are you sure? It was a phoenix attack after all."_

"_Stop worrying about me." Mariko snapped. "I'm not a little kid anymore." She smiled. "Besides, the more powerful the opponent, the more fun I'll get killing them." She giggled. Hiruko stepped backwards in shock. "What's wrong?"_

"_I can't believe you. You actually enjoy killing."_

"_So do you, big brother. You're the one who said that killing targets right away would be boring."_

"_That was a cover up. I may have found it fun a year ago, but now I…I…" Hiruko turned away. "I don't wanna do it anymore. I wanna get out of here. I want to go to school…play with children my age…not worry about strikes and death sentences…I want to live a normal life."_

"_Listen to yourself." Mariko said. "You sound like a spoiled child."_

"_That's because I am a child. And so are you. We're twins, remember? We pretended that we enjoyed killing so that nobody would suspect us of being traitors." Mariko stood up._

"_You may have pretended, but I certainly don't." Mariko's eyes flashed red briefly. Hiruko gasped._

"_Those are "it's" eyes aren't they?" Mariko nodded._

"_Miranda gave me a portion of her inner spirit. Now, I am more powerful than ever. And big brother, if you ever turn against us…" Mariko suddenly appeared behind Hiruko. "I'll kill you myself." She whispered into Hiruko's ear. Hiruko's eyes widened in fear, and he ran out of the dark room. Mariko smirked. "Foolish big brother." She hissed._

"Maybe I do have doubts." Hiruko said to nobody. "But…if my real sister isn't here anymore, then I'm leaving." Hiruko looked up. "She's nearby. Mariko's close."

…

"Why is Jaden always running ahead?" Syrus wondered, running the path Jaden ran toward Haru and the others with Hannah, Jesse and Daisy.

"He's always been like that." Jesse answered.

"Makes sense. You do that as well, Jesse." Daisy said.

"He's like a second Jaden." Hannah said.

"That's 'cause he is." Syrus yelled. Suddenly, an arm grabbed him on the back of his yellow jacket collar and yanked him into the trees, whilst Hannah, Jesse and Daisy ran ahead, obviously not noticing. "Ow. Who did that?" Syrus demanded, rubbing his neck. There was nobody in sight.

"Hello," A voice hissed into his ear. Syrus stumbled backwards with a yelp. Mariko was leaning on a tree where he previously stood. "I've come here to see you."

"Er…you have?"

"Yup," Mariko nodded. "I hear you've trusted somebody who's not to be trusted. I'm here to help you see the light. That person's not worth your time."

"Who're you talking about?" Syrus asked. Mariko was silent for a moment, and twirled a strand of her blonde hair around her finger.

"Meno," She eventually said.

"Meno?" Syrus repeated.

"Exactly. She is a Kishido, and you may not know it, but she has hurt you deep inside. And vermin like her should die." She outstretched a hand towards Syrus. "How about it, Syrus? Let's kill her together." Syrus activated his sword and braced himself. Mariko was unfazed by this. "What? You'd rather fight me? Over a blood thirsty killer?"

"Killer or not, at least she's still human."

"Human?"

"You might not think so, but Meno is more human than anyone I've ever met." Mariko said nothing. She began to walk towards Syrus slowly. Syrus gripped his sword tightly.

"Look at you. You're trying to be brave, but I can tell you're terrified. I can see you tremble." She giggled. "It's kinda cute actually. But you really don't know what Meno did to you, do you?" She stopped walking when she was directly in front of Syrus. "Think back to five years ago. Think back to a train. Anything special happen? Like your father for example?"

"I don't know. We came home on the train, and then the next day after school dad died in a car accident." Mariko burst out laughing. "What's so funny?" Syrus asked, gripping his sword even tighter. Mariko calmed down.

"You really can't remember, can you?" She placed two fingers on Syrus' forehead. "Let me shed some light on the subject." Her eyes glowed red. Syrus' eyes widened as the forest turned into a black vortex, and then within seconds, Syrus found himself on a train, staring at the backs of a younger Zane and Syrus.

"Where am I?" Syrus wondered.

"You're a liar." A voice said coldly.

"Huh? What're you…oh, right. My cousin."

"Who's that, big brother?" Young Syrus asked. "Is that your friend?" He gasped.

"What's wrong?"

"AAAAHHHHHHHH!" Young Syrus screamed, running past Syrus and ducking under a table, his hands over his ears and his eyes closed tightly.

_What's going on?_ Syrus thought. Zane stumbled backwards.

"Did you…did you do this?" Zane asked. Syrus looked at who Zane was talking to, but only saw a shadow in the shape of a person.

"Zane what's wrong?" Rob asked, standing up.

"Dad?" Syrus gasped.

"I s everything oka-" Suddenly, a pink blade cut Rob's head cleanly off his shoulders. Zane spun around and stared at Rob's headless body in horror. Syrus was just as horrified.

_Who would do this?_ Syrus saw the shadows clearing around the shadowed person. Syrus' eyes widened. Standing behind Zane, with a blank look in their eyes, was an eight year old Meno.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!" Syrus screamed, clutching his head and falling onto his knees. Mariko smirked down at him.

"So you've finally remembered." Mariko said.

"Mariko!" Mariko looked up at the sound of her name. Aster had just entered the clearing, and he looked shocked. Mariko smiled.

"I've missed you, phoenix. It feels like ages since we saw each other, doesn't it?"

"What did you do?" Aster demanded. Mariko was silent for a moment.

"Nothing. I was simply helping him." Aster raised an eyebrow.

"Helping?"

"Yup." Mariko turned her back to Aster. "Oh, yes. And be careful of the blue haired girl. She's after you." Mariko disappeared in a flash of blue light.

"Syrus. Are you okay?" Aster asked, getting down on one knee beside Syrus.

"Dad…was killed…I saw it…a girl…with blue hair." Syrus muttered, not looking up at Aster.

"Blue hair?"

"It was…it was Meno." Aster's eyes widened.

"Meno?"

"Syrus, are you alright?" Meno asked, running towards Aster and Syrus.

"Yes, everything's fine Meno." Aster lied.

"Are you sure? I heard Syrus scream, so I thought he was in trouble."

"He's fine, aren't you Syrus?" Aster asked, shaking Syrus slightly.

"Er…yeah…yeah I'm okay." Syrus stood up, but as soon as he faced Meno, he saw once again the death of Rob and the eight year old Meno. Syrus stumbled backwards in shock.

"Syrus?" Meno began.

"Ah, it's nothing."

_I don't think it is… _Aster thought, suspicious.

…

"Back off!" Catalina demanded, lashing out with her sword at a warlock. It blocked her sword with its arm, barely even scratching it. With a single swipe, the sword broke. "No." She hissed. The warlock began to advance in her, its arm raised ready to strike the killing blow.

"Excuse me." The warlock turned around, only to be greeted with a punch across the face. Hassleberry was behind it with a fist clenched. "You should know better not to pick on a girl. Now get lost before that nose of yours gets bruised." The warlock glared at Hassleberry, but it walked back into the trees and out of sight. "You alright?" Hassleberry asked Catalina. She stumbled and raised her broken sword.

"Why did you help me? We're enemies."

"I've got nothing against ya, even if we are on opposite sides. But every cloud has a silver lining. That's what I say." Catalina stared at Hassleberry, not letting her guard down. "Y'know, ya might as well put that hunk of metal down. I'm not here to fight you, and it's broken anyway."

"Fine." Catalina dropped her sword hilt to the ground.

"Besides, I can't hit girls."

"IS THAT WHY YOU SPARED ME?!" Catalina snapped.

"You're like a second Hannah." Hassleberry laughed.

"That blind girl?"

"She's not blind anymore."

"Oh, right." Catalina's vision suddenly went blurry, and began to fall to the ground. However, before she could hit it, Hassleberry caught her. He leaned her against a tree trunk.

"Did you get into a fight?"

"A boy in a red jacket defeated me. I insisted on bringing him down for the count, even though I had already lost. I see no point in lying about it now."

"I see. You look pretty beaten up." Hassleberry slid his back down the tree trunk and sat on the ground next to Catalina. "Are you looking for Haru? You're on a mission to kill stone wielders, aren't you? But why? Is it just to rub it in that Nevara hates him, or is it something else?"

"That's none of your business." Catalina responded. Silence. "There's a certain power held in most stone wielders. It's undetectable, and stone wielders are only revealed to have it when they suffer from emotional distress. It's dangerous, so Miss Nevara wants to kill the stone wielders to make sure this power isn't a threat to Miss Miranda."

"That makes sense. What exactly is this ability?"

"I don't know. I've told you everything I know."

"Man that sucks!" Hassleberry whined.

"Does that headband trigger your powers?" Catalina asked.

"Yup. It somehow makes me stronger than I am right now. I…hey wait a minute, why am I telling you all this? And why are you asking me questions and not trying to kill me?"

"I could ask you the same thing. You had the perfect chance to let me die when I was attacked just now, but you saved me. Why?"

"Like I said I can't hit girls." Hassleberry shrugged. "And…it's your eyes. Even though you're an enemy, I know that deep down, you're still somewhat decent."

"Huh?"

"You weren't forced to join, unlike Haru and Meno. They had no choice. Both of them were lonely, and it shows in their eyes. You have those same lonely eyes. I suppose that sums up why I saved you. I just don't want anyone to die lonely." Catalina said nothing, amazed at Hassleberry. Hassleberry stood up and reached a hand out to Catalina. "C'mon, I'll take you back to wherever you're going." Catalina grabbed the hand, but as soon as she was pulled off the ground, she collapsed on all fours. "Wait, that won't work. You're still too injured to move." Hassleberry thought for a moment.

"Ah ha!" He beamed. Hassleberry got down on one knee with his back to Catalina. "Climb on." Catalina blinked. "What? Have you never had a piggy back ride?" She shook her head. "You haven't even seen one?" Again, Catalina shook her head. "Put your arms around my neck."

"Like this?" Catalina asked, grabbing Hassleberry's throat with her hands, almost strangling him.

"Ack! No! No not like that!" Hassleberry choked. Catalina quickly let go, and Hassleberry rubbed his neck, coughing. "I said your arms, not your hands!"

"Sorry." Catalina placed her arms on Hassleberry's shoulders, and he stood up with Catalina now on his back. "So this is a piggy back ride? Why's it called that?"

"I'm not sure." Hassleberry said. "So, which way is it?"

"Um… that way." Catalina pointed to the right.

"Okey dokey. Let's go." Hassleberry began to walk in that direction.

"Dino boy. There's something that's bothering me. When you told that warlock to go away, it obeyed. I know they aren't that obedient, so why did it obey you?"

"Er…it's a secret." Hassleberry said quickly. "Besides, there's something else I want to ask you too."

"What is it?"

"Can I call you Cat? It sounds cooler, doncha think?"

_I know he's an enemy but, somehow, I feel as though he's a kind enemy. I've never had this feeling before. What is it?_ Catalina thought.

"Er, hello?" Catalina snapped out of her trance.

"Yes?"

"Can I call you Cat or not?"

_What is this feeling?_ Catalina smiled. "Sure,"

"Finally!" Hassleberry exclaimed. "Took you long enough to answer!" Catalina giggled. "Eh? What's funny?"

"Oh it's nothing." Hassleberry stared at Catalina.

"Wow, Cat. You're weird." Hassleberry muttered. Catalina giggled again.

_This boy is the first person to actually understand me. But I'm supposed to hate him. So why don't I hate him? And what is this feeling I have instead? But still…_

"Thank you…"

"You mean for the piggy back? It's no problem, but it is pretty weird that you don't even know what a piggy back is." Hassleberry looked suspiciously at Catalina. "And somehow, you seem familiar. Have I met you before?"

"I don't think so. But… the thank you was for something else."

"Then what did you thank me for?"

"It's…it's nothing. I just felt like saying it." Catalina lied.

"Suit yourself."

"Actually…you seem familiar as well." Catalina said. "Like we saw each other a long time ago."

"_We don't need you,"_

"_Apologise!"_

"_I just don't know how to love you anymore,"_

Catalina gasped. "What's wrong?" Hassleberry asked.

"I'm sorry. I'm not myself today."

5 minutes later

"Are you sure you'll be alright on your own?" Hassleberry asked, Catalina now sitting on a log.

"It's not too far now. I'll be alright. You go off to phoenix boy and the others."

"Why do you call private phoenix boy of the phoenix anyway?" Catalina looked left and right. She beckoned Hassleberry to come closer, and he leaned closer to Catalina. She whispered something to Hassleberry. "No way!" Hassleberry exclaimed. "What's it mean?"

"That's confidential information I've given you. Miss Miranda will skin me alive if she knew I told you."

"Thanks." Hassleberry began to walk away.

"Wait." Hassleberry turned around. Catalina threw a purple sphere the size of a tennis ball at Hassleberry, and he caught it. It had a symbol of a crescent moon on it.

"What's this?"

"It's to thank you for the piggy back."

_And for something else._ Catalina thought to herself. _But I'll tell you that later. I shall tell you when I have found out what this feeling is._

"What does it do?"

"It can contain a large amount of objects, even mountains. It only has two weapons inside it. You can keep the sphere." Catalina leapt into the tree tops and out of sight.

"Right, how do I open this thing?" As soon as Hassleberry said "open", the crescent moon glowed, and half of the sphere disappeared. Curious, Hassleberry placed a hand inside it. He felt a cold chain and the smooth metal of a blade. "Hmmm…that will come in handy later. Now then, I just have to close it." At the word "close" the other half of the sphere reformed. "Hmph. Easy enough." Hassleberry placed the sphere in his pocket. "Right. Time to find Jaden."

…

"That thing's gonna find Nevara?" Aster asked, pointing at a creature on the ground. This creature had yellow fur with a brown circle over its right eye and brown tips at the end of its bushy tail, tips of brown on the points of its small cat like ears and brown sock like markings on all four of its feet. It was the same size as a squirrel and had beady green eyes.

"It's a bit…tiny, isn't it?" Jaden asked.

"It's the same size as my Ruby Carbuncle."

"Who cares?! He's so CUTE!" Hannah squealed, scooping it up in her arms and nuzzling it. "Oh, I just love him! He's so adorable!" The creature wriggled out of Hannah's grip and leapt onto Aster's shoulder.

"Have you developed a weakness for cute things, Hannah?" Aster asked.

"That creature is a firefox." Aiko said. "They have a unique ability to track anybody by scent alone, and they can change into another form. That particular firefox was attracted to me because of my powers, but I cannot command it, no matter how much I may want to."

"Why's that?" Meno asked.

"Because the firefox chooses their master. And it looks like this one has chosen Aster." The firefox nuzzled its head against Aster's

"Ah! I think it's moulting!" Aster panicked.

"What are you going to name it?" Meno asked.

"Eh?"

"Yeah, you've gotta name it." Jaden said. "Call it something cool like…er…um… well you know what I mean."

"Aw, do I have to?" Aster moaned. "Fine." He grabbed the fox by the scruff of its neck and brought it down in front of his face. "Alright, I'm your master apparently, so I've gotta name you, okay?" The firefox blinked. "Okay. Name…name…er…right, you're name is Coco."

"COCO?!" Jaden yelled.

"What kind of name is Coco?!" Syrus exclaimed.

"Come on! I'm not very good at thinking of names." Coco jumped back onto Aster's shoulder. "Besides, he seems to like it."

"How can you say that when you named almost all of the destiny heroes?!" Jesse yelled.

"That was ten years ago! I'm a little rusty okay?" Aster folded his arms. "Anyway, he looks like a Coco. Right, name aside, what does this firefox do?"

"Call him by his name and say transform." Aiko instructed.

"Coco transform? What would that- whoa!" Coco erupted into flames the size of an inferno and seconds later, Coco was thirty feet in height, had a larger set of fangs and a large saddle shaped like a circle was on his huge back. Aster was hovering in the air with his phoenix wings. "What the hell is that?!"

"Like I said, that's Coco's true form. He can carry heavy loads, especially people."

"Really? Cool!" Jaden climbed up Coco's fur and into the saddle. "Wow, this is so awesome."

"Move over, I wanna come in too." Syrus said.

"Don't forget me." Jesse shouted.

"I'm too short!" Hannah whined, jumping up and down to try and get into the saddle.

"Calm down, there's enough room for everyone." Aiko laughed.

"FORGET IT! I'M NOT RIDING THAT THING!" Aster shouted, flying out of the tree tops.

"Haru?" Aiko asked. Haru was scowling at Aiko, his arms folded.

"You know I can't ride it." Haru snapped.

"Come on. It's fine if you don't look down."

"That doesn't make any difference."

"Would you do it if I kissed you?" Aiko teased.

"WHAT?! Hell no!" Haru exclaimed, his face turning red.

"Stop flirting you two and get on already." Daisy shouted.

"We're not…oh forget it!" A small pillar of stone thrust Haru into the air and he landed in the saddle, and the pillar disappeared as soon as Haru landed.

"Is that everyone?" Aster's voice yelled.

"Yes, we're all aboard." Aiko answered.

"Okay. COCO!" Coco lifted into the air and ran through the sky and out of the treetops.

"WHOA!" Jaden yelled, taken by surprise, along with almost everyone else.

"How can he fly? He doesn't have any wings." Daisy wondered.

"I still think it's amazing. Right, Haru?" Meno turned to Haru. He was hanging his head and didn't look well. "Are you okay?"

"It's a condition he has." Aiko said, flying in the air next to Coco.

"Don't tell them." Haru muttered

"Haru has vertigo." Aiko continued. Haru groaned and collapsed on his back, staring up at the sky.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" Jaden, Syrus and Jesse burst out laughing.

"It's not funny!" Haru snapped, sitting up sharply. "Aiko!"

"Sorry, but it's your fault for not telling people things." Aiko shrugged.

"Huh?" Aster stopped flying and hovered in mid air.

"What's wrong?" Aiko asked, hovering next to him. Aster placed a hand on his head.

"Someone's nearby. Over there." Aster flew to his right.

"Aster! Urgh!" Aiko flew after Aster, Coco following. Aster dived down towards the ground and landed in an area surrounded by dead trees and dried up earth. "Aster, stop rushing ahead of everyone else." Aiko landed on the ground next to him.

"I thought I felt someone here." Aster scratched his head. "My senses must be broken." Aiko's eyes widened. A shadow was several metres behind Aster. "But I can still feel like something's nearby."

"Aster, look out!" Aiko's wooden bow appeared in her right hand, and she created a glowing yellow arrow, aimed it at the shadow and fired, making it a direct hit.

"Oh so that's were he was."

"I'll take that as a thank you." Aiko said huffily. The shadow stepped out into view. It was a figure dressed in a tight grey bodysuit with pale skin and a dark grey metal helmet that covered his head and face. He removed the arrow from his shoulder and threw it to the ground, making it disappear in yellow smoke.

"What a weirdo." Aster muttered.

"Aster!" Haru yelled. He leapt out of the saddle of Coco metres before he landed, but despite the great height, Haru landed almost effortlessly. "Be careful! That man is named Mori, and he is incredibly dangerous. I don't know much about him, but I know he is one of the top assassins and everyone single one of his opponents has died within minutes."

"Whoa. That's dangerous. I wanna fight him!" Jesse yelled, sliding down Coco after he landed and stood next to Haru.

"What are ya kiddin'?!" Jaden exclaimed, jumping out of the saddle. "You had a poison attack an hour ago. If you had one now, you'd get killed!"

"Rats." Jesse hissed. The rest of the gang climbed out of Coco's saddle and, in another burst of flames, Coco returned to his original size. Mori raised an arm in the air. Silence. Suddenly, the ground started to rumble.

"AH! Earthquake!" Syrus panicked.

"It's not that." Haru said. The ground crumbled away until there was nothing left except for a circular platform the size of a football field was left supported by a single pillar in the centre, trapping Aiko, Aster and Mori. The rest of the gang were safely watching from eleven metres away, staring down at the platform that was now metres below them.

"Is that guy nuts?!" Jesse yelled.

"That thing's only supported by one column." Daisy said.

"If you fall, you're dead. I can't even see the bottom." Syrus whimpered, staring down at the blackness. Mori lowered his arm until it was Aster's head height. A yellow energy blast began to form. Aster's hand hovered in front of his water skin, and Aiko created another arrow and aimed it.

"You up for a double bout, Aiko?" Aster asked.

"I think it's a little unfair, but okay." Mori's attack fired in a powerful beam. There was a massive explosion, and a huge dust cloud covered the entire arena.

"What was that?" Daisy gasped.

"Don't look at me. This is the first time I've seen Mori fight." Haru protested. Aster and Aiko leapt backwards out of the dust cloud.

"That didn't hit us." Aiko said, looking at her arms for a scratch.

"Either that guy has lousy aim, or something stopped it." The smoke cleared completely, and Hassleberry was standing with his backs to Aiko and Aster, and was holding a large metal shield in his right hand shaped like and was the same size as a dustbin lid.

"Who's he?" Aiko asked.

"Hassleberry!" Jaden yelled happily.

"Private! Pixie! Get back to the others. Things could get ugly." Hassleberry instructed.

"What the…d-d-did he just call me pixie?!" Aiko exclaimed angrily. "Why I'm gonna…" Aster rolled his eyes, activated his phoenix wings and, grabbing onto Aiko's right wrist, flew back to the rest of the gang.

"You look pretty tough for someone who wears a mask." Hassleberry grinned. "I am so gonna beat ya!"

**TA DA! Bloody hell that was twenty one pages! Phew! Okay, er, the next chapter might take a while, cuz of my GCSE's and all. I've already done the RS philosophy exam, and then there's the sciences! WAH! Anyway, at the end of it, I get three weeks extra holiday! YAY! Next time, Hassleberry fights Mori, and finds out something shocking about Mori in the process, and an unlikely person comes to help the gang. That's all coming up in the next chapter, so stay tuned until then, and good luck to anyone of you who has exams as well!**


	15. Chapter 15: Hard as Iron

**I HATE GCSE'S! ANY1 AGREE?! I mean I have to get at least a C in the sciences, and I'm absolutely crap at science. Aw well, at least I don't do any sciences at A level. Then when the A level exam comes, I can do this all over again. YAY! Ah, I love sarcasm. Anyway, ranting aside, here's chapter 15!**

Chapter 15

Hard as Iron

"Come on guys. We're going to be late." Selena said cheerfully, running outside a block of flats and waiting outside. She was dressed in a summer high school uniform that consisted of a white shirt, a skirt with a dark blue tartan pattern, and a white sailor collar with blue stripes that hung at least twenty centimetres down her back sat on her shoulders, with a bow matching the skirt decorating her shirt. She had on white knee high socks, black shoes, her white hair was loose and she carried a brown school satchel in her hand. Three more girls ran out of the flats, wearing the same uniform as her.

"I don't see what you're so excited about. It's only high school." A girl with short black hair said. A blonde girl with her hair in two plaits nudged her hard.

"You're forgetting that she was in a coma for a year." She hissed.

"Irene that hurt."

"It's been a week since I started school again. I don't wanna be late, so let's go!" Selena ran off.

"Hey wait up!" Irene yelled, running after her with the other two girls.

_I can finally live a normal life again. And it's thanks to you Jesse._ Selena thought. She turned right around a corner, but she stopped suddenly and looked at the sky. She saw on the edge of the city an orange circle in the sky with a beam projected onto the ground.

"What's wrong Selena?" Irene asked.

"Is everything okay?" A girl with shoulder length red hair asked.

"You can't see it?"

"See what?" The red head asked.

"Oh, it's nothing. I guess it was just my imagination." Selena ran towards the light.

"Where are you going?"

"I forgot something. You go on ahead"

"But your house is…"

"Shortcut." Selena disappeared around the corner. The three girls stared after her.

"Oh, well. We'll see her at school." Irene said.

"But…" The black haired girl started.

"We'll ask her at break."

"Fine."

…

Selena reached the top of the hill and paused to catch her breath.

"Phew. That hill's steep." Selena straightened and looked at the orange light. She walked closer towards it until she was just inches from the beam. She noticed that the grass inside was black and some of the grass outside the light was wet.

_Why is the grass like that?_ Selena stepped inside the light to look at the grass closer.

"This is strange." Selena said to herself. "Why would there-EEEEEEKKK!!" Selena was cut short when she suddenly shot up into the sky, dropping her school bag on the ground in the process, and there was silence, Selena's school bag lying on the ground outside the portal.

…

"Where am I?" Selena said out loud, picking herself up from the ground. She looked around where she was. She was in a deep part of the woods, with creepers and vines hanging down from the thick branches that hands smaller branches like hands. Various fungi decorated the feet of the trees, and there were a few puddles on the ground. Selena sighed.

"Great. I am so going to be late for school."

"Sister, I heard something over here."

"Be careful, it could be a monster."

"It sounded human."

"You think everything sounds human, Chloe."

"Over here." Selena called out.

"Does that sound like a monster to you?"

"It could be a disguise. Quartet!" A blade of sound sliced through the creepers towards Selena.

"EEEEKKK!!" Selena squealed, ducking the attack, and it jammed into a tree trunk before disappearing after a few seconds.

"Sister, that was out of line!" A girl with long blonde hair and a white dress down to her knees with thin straps ran out. "I'm sorry about that. Are you okay?" Selena nodded.

"For the last time, Chloe, it could be a monster!" Melody snapped, running out of the trees. She pointed her flute at Selena. "Who are you and why are you here?"

"I'm…I'm Selena. Selena Hopkins. I found this portal in the sky of Domino City on the way to school, and before I knew it I was here." Selena answered nervously.

"Really?! You're Jesse's girlfriend?!" Chloe exclaimed. "Wow. I can see why he likes you."

"You know Jesse? That's great! Is he here? Where is he?" Selena asked hopefully.

"He is here, but we don't know where." Melody answered. Selena hung her head.

"Oh. Okay." She muttered. Her head shot up. "Oh no! I dropped my school bag. It's got my cell phone in it. Oh, I hope nobody steals it."

"It'll be fine." Chloe reassured. "Uh…what's a cell phone?"

"Hold on. You could see the portal?"

"Yes. It was plain as day. But none of my friends could see it."

_How strange…_ Melody thought.

…

"I can't believe he has the nerve to call me "pixie"" Aiko growled, clenching a fist angrily. "I'm a guardian, not a pixie."

"But you do look like a fairy." Daisy pointed out. "Maybe it's because you actually are a pixie?"

"Don't you start as well!" Aiko snapped. She looked behind her.

"What's wrong?" Meno asked. Aiko turned back around.

"Nothing. I thought I felt someone else nearby. I think it was someone else who's my kind, but it's gone now. Must have been my imagination."

"You can't imagine you sensed someone." Aster muttered. "It's not possible."

"Uh… you do know that Hassleberry is fighting Mori, right?" Jaden asked.

"Oh, yeah!" Hannah exclaimed.

"Go on, Hassleberry!" Daisy cheered.

"Yo, Haru. What does Mori do?" Aster asked. Haru shrugged, making an "I don't know" noise. "What do you mean you don't know?!"

"I was only a soldier whilst with Miranda, and Mori was in the top ten."

"Okay, so what rank was he?"

"I think he's number ten."

"That's pretty high" Syrus said.

"And Meno was one of the highest ranked. She was at number five."

"Wow, Meno! You're awesome!" Hannah yelled, hugging Meno.

"I wasn't that good."

"Anyway, Hassleberry should be careful. Unlike the other opponents he's faced, Mori is stronger than any of them."

"Yeah, especially since you lost to him." Jesse muttered.

"Watch it." Haru growled. Mori raised a hand to Hassleberry's head height.

_Alright. I'd better not underestimate this guy._ Hassleberry placed a hand over the sphere Catalina gave him. _Cat, gimme some luck._ Mori fired a blast of energy from his hand at Hassleberry, who jumped out of the way, just as it exploded into the ground. Hassleberry dropped his shield and pulled a sickle and chain style weapon from the sphere.

"Cool," Hassleberry muttered.

"Where'd you get that from?" Aster yelled.

"Er…I found it on the ground." Hassleberry lied.

_That's the lamest lie I've heard in my life…_ Aster thought. Mori raised an arm again.

"Just a one trick dog, eh?" Hassleberry spun the sickle above his head. "I, on the other hand, have more." He threw the sharp weapon at Mori, which wrapped around his arm and around his shoulders, restricting his movements. Hassleberry tugged on the chain. "Ha ha! Gotcha!" Mori's other arm grabbed the chain. "Uh oh. WHOA!" Mori effortlessly pulled the chain, forcing Hassleberry off his feet. Mori swung Hassleberry around the air, forcing him to let go, and he began to fall down the edge of the arena. Quickly, Hassleberry grabbed onto a ledge with one hand. "Phew." He sighed.

"That was close." Meno breathed, relieved.

"It would have been interesting though." Aster muttered.

"To see him die?!" Hannah exclaimed.

"No, it would have been interesting to see him fall. Besides, I'll make sure he doesn't fall." Mori walked to the edge of the arena where Hassleberry hung.

"Uh…Aster? I think you should get those wings ready pretty soon." Aiko panicked. Suddenly, Mori reached down, grabbed Hassleberry's wrist and pulled him back up into the air.

"Why didn't you let me fall?" Hassleberry demanded. Mori clenched a fist.

"_I want…"_

"Eh? You say something?" Mori punched Hassleberry across his face, sending him skidding across the ground. Hassleberry sat up, rubbing his face. "What do you know? I'm still alive."

"Mori saved dino-boy?" Hannah said.

"He's a nice person after all!" Daisy said cheerfully.

_No, Daisy._ Haru thought, narrowing his eyes. _Mori has something else planned._

"Oh ho! This looks interesting." A voice said.

"WAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Haru, Jaden and Aster yelled at the same time, almost falling over. A short old man with a dark cloak and a long white moustache stood behind the gang.

"Can't you say hello like normal people?!" Jaden snapped.

"You scared the hell out of us!" Aster yelled.

"Young people these days." The old man sniffed.

"Who are you?" Syrus asked.

"Me? I'm the mysterious old man."

"I meant a name." Syrus sweat dropped.

"I forget."

"You can't even remember your own name?!"

"Hey, I'm old. But one thing I certainly can't forget is the invasion."

"What invasion?" Hannah asked.

"The one that exterminated the stone wielders. Every last one of them. I believe you've heard of it. And I hear that one of you is the last one."

"Oh, yes." Meno said. "That's-"

"No no, little girl. Let me guess." The old man stood in front of the gang. "Hmmm… Is it you?" He pointed at Daisy.

"What? No!"

"How about you?" He pointed at Aster.

"Does it count being a phoenix warrior?" Aster asked.

"No. Well, it must be you." He pointed at Meno, who shook her head.

"The stone wielder's a boy." Meno said.

"Ah, yes. Thank you, little girl. Er…" He eyed the group. "In that case… It must be…" His finger wavered over Haru. "You." He eventually pointed at Hannah.

"DO I LOOK LIKE A BOY TO YOU?!" Hannah yelled.

"YOU THOUGHT I WAS A GIRL, DIDN'T YOU?!" Haru yelled, fists clenched.

"Looks like a girl eh?"

"_Have you seen a guy around here that looks like a girl? He's got this outfit covered with belts."_

"It must be you then." The old man pointed at Haru. He nodded.

"Haru. And it's true. I'm the last one."

"Suppose I shouldn't have given away my weapon."

"What weapon?" Aster asked. The old man scratched his bald head.

"I forgot. I think it was some sort of sphere. And I can't remember who I gave it to."

"Well until you remember, we're kinda busy right now." Aster grumbled, annoyed.

"Here I come." Hassleberry threw the chain at Mori again, and this time, it scratched him on the shoulder, but he didn't react. "Er…didn't that hurt?" Hassleberry asked as the blade retreated back into his hand.

"Sorry, dino-boy. Mori doesn't feel pain." Hiruko appeared in a flash of orange light, sitting on the edge of the cliff and looking down at Hassleberry.

"Hiruko! What do you want?" Jesse demanded.

"Come on, can't I watch a fight without getting glared at?" Hiruko moaned. "I'm bored, and Hassleberry's gonna die soon, so that just makes things more fun."

"You're lying!" Aster yelled. "Don't worry, Hassleberry! He's just pretending it didn't hurt!"

"Well of course he is!" Hassleberry spotted the old man. "Hey, you're that forest guide geezer."

"Oh, I remember now. I gave the weapon to that boy."

"What, this thing?" Hassleberry pulled the small grey sphere from his pocket.

"That's the only thing that can save your life."

"Eh? Then what is it? How do I use it?" Hassleberry demanded.

"Oh…" The old man scratched his head. He grinned sheepishly. "I forget." Hassleberry fell over anime style.

"You wanna be burned or cremated?" Hannah growled, a fireball surrounding her right fist.

"AAAHHHH! N-n-n-n-no! Really! I can't remember." The old man protested frantically. "Let me try to remember." He twirled his moustache around his finger. "Hmmm…what does it do? What if he… no that's not it."

"Don't just guess." Daisy muttered.

"GRRR! That old man's useless!" Hassleberry growled. He looked at the talisman. "I'm tossing this thing." Mori aimed a punch at Hassleberry's skull, which caught him off guard and, while dodging it, the sphere flew out of his hands and into the air. "Ah! I need that to live!" Hassleberry ran under Mori's arm, trying to figure out where the talisman will fall. The sphere fell down from the sky and into Hassleberry's open mouth. Instinctively, he swallowed.

"AAAAAHHHHH!!! HE SWALLOWED IT!!" Everyone, except Mori, yelled at the same time.

"Urp! What was that? Did I just swallow a fly?" He looked up at the gang. Jaden, Jesse, Syrus and Daisy were sweat dropping and Haru was speechless. Hiruko had burst out laughing.

"This is great!" Hiruko exclaimed.

"Uh…" Meno and Aiko said at the same time, trying to process what just happened. Aster slapped his forehead.

"You idiot."

"Why are you looking at me like that? And where'd that sphere go?" Hassleberry looked around. Mori had his arms folded and was tapping his foot impatiently. Hassleberry finally figured out what happened, and sweat dropped. "I ate it." He muttered. There was a long silence.

"One…two…three…four…five…" Aster counted slowly.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!" Hassleberry yelled. He began running in circles. "I ATE IT I ATE IT I ATE IT I ATE IT I ATE IT I ATE IT I ATE IT I ATE IT!!!" Hassleberry clutched his head. "THIS IS A DISASTER!"

"He's finally figured it out." Aster muttered.

"Is this normal?" Haru asked, still dumbfounded.

"Oh no! What am I gonna do? Without it I'm dead, but with it it's useless! Okay. Don't panic. Don't panic. Don't panic. Don't panic. AAAAHHHHH!!!!" Hassleberry panicked. Mori finally ran out of patience and ran towards his opponent. "Yikes!" Hassleberry rolled out of the way of a punch that destroyed the spot where he previously stood, and denting it with a crater.

"Idiot." Jesse muttered.

"I can't believe he just swallowed a talisman." Syrus said.

"That's strange." Meno said.

"What's strange?" Syrus asked nervously.

"Mori looks different from the last time I saw him. He seems…heavier. But, he couldn't have become that strong in such a short time."

"Oh?" The old man said, overhearing Meno. "Be right back!"

"Toilet run?" Jaden asked. The old man disappeared in a flash of red light. "AH! HE JUST DISAPPEARED!" The old man appeared sitting next to Hiruko.

"AH! What the… what do you want, gramps?"

"That Mori is original, isn't he?" Hassleberry avoided another blast at his feet and attempted a punch at Mori's face, which was successful, but Mori only wobbled. "No matter how many times dino-boy hits him, he's unfazed by it. Why is it? Maybe it's because…" Hiruko aimed a punch at the old man, but he disappeared again in a flash of red light, and appeared again by the gang.

"What were you doing? He could've killed you!" Daisy exclaimed.

"I think I've got Mori figured out." The old man said cheerfully.

"Really?" Hassleberry said, over hearing.

"Yup. The first clue was what Hiruko said."

"_Sorry, dino-boy. Mori doesn't feel pain."_

"By the looks of it, I think Hiruko was telling the truth. Think about it. Hassleberry is one of your strongest, right? And not to mention his blade attack, Mori acted like nothing happened. Doesn't that seem unusual?"

"Hey, you're right." Jesse said.

"That is unusual." Aiko said.

"The second clue is this." The old man held up a photograph of a much thinner Mori.

"Where'd you get this?" Hannah asked.

"I swiped it from Hiruko." Hiruko growled angrily. "This was from a few weeks ago." The gang crowded around the photograph.

"What? What are you looking at?" Hassleberry asked.

"Is that really Mori?"

"No way!"

"This one's so much wimpier than the one down there."

"Yeah, almost like a different person."

"Correction: he IS a different person." The old man corrected.

"You mean that's not the real Mori?" Aster asked.

"Well, yes and no. He is definitely the real Mori, but…" Hiruko sighed.

"Looks like the granddad figured it out. There's no point hiding it. Yo, Mori. Take your helmet off." Mori looked up at Hiruko.

"_Very well…"_

"Those are almost the first words he's spoken. This must be big." Jesse said.

"I've got a bad feeling about this." Daisy said nervously. Mori placed his hands on the helmet and began to remove it from his head. Hassleberry raised an eyebrow. When Mori looked up, Hassleberry grimaced.

"AH!" Jesse, Jaden and Syrus gasped. Aiko's eyes widened, Daisy stifled a gasp behind her hands and Hannah's eyes shone.

"At times like this, I wish I was blind again."

"No way." Aster muttered.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!" Meno screamed. Mori's head was just a skull with the lower jaw hanging down, and parts of the bone were rotting and cracked. One half of the skull had rotten skin that was coming off, and there were even a few hairs.

"HA HA HA HA! TAKE A GOOD LOOK!" Hiruko laughed, clutching his sides and collapsing on his back.

"A SKULL!" Jaden yelled.

"He's rotten skin and bone from the neck up!" Daisy exclaimed.

"It's an abomination." Syrus said, outraged.

"I think I'm gonna be sick." Jesse moaned, clutching his stomach.

"Let me get out the way first." Hannah said nervously, backing away from Jesse.

"Unh…" Haru moaned, placing a hand on his head and closing his eyes.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?" Aiko asked. Haru removed his hand from his head.

"It's just a dizzy spell. I'm fine."

"Old man…" Aster started.

"That's why he can't feel any pain. Mori isn't an ordinary human being, but a dead body that's being animated by a spell in that helmet."

"What? Does that mean I've been fighting a dead guy?! That's not fair!" Hassleberry protested.

"However, dead bodies decay, so Mori will have to keep finding new ones." The old man continued.

"New bodies?" Aster gasped. "That means…"

"Oh, figured it out then?"

"_I want…"_ Mori placed the helmet pack over his skull and ran towards Hassleberry.

"He's going to take over Hassleberry!" Aster realised.

"NO WAY!" Hassleberry yelled, running away from Mori. "YOU'RE NOT TAKIN' OVER MY BODY!"

"Why's he running away? Has he lost his will to fight?" Haru wondered.

"Dude, after hearing that story, even the Hulk would run away." Aster said. Mori fired a blast from his hand, which hit Hassleberry on his ankle.

"YEOW!" Hassleberry stumbled and fell onto the floor. Mori walked up to Hassleberry. "That's gonna leave a mark." Hassleberry muttered, rubbing his ankle.

"_I hope not," _Mori grabbed Hassleberry's throat and lifted him off the ground. _"You're forcing me to damage your body, and I need it in good condition. Your blows have wrecked this one."_ Hassleberry gave a small smirk.

"Now I'm mad."

"_Oh?"_ Hassleberry kicked Mori under his chin, forcing him to let go of Hassleberry, who back flipped back onto his feet.

"I'm not afraid of an enemy like you."

"Go on, Hassleberry! Make him work for it!" Jaden cheered.

"Huh?" Hassleberry looked at his right hand. It was glowing lightly. "What's going on?"

"Oh, I just remembered what that talisman does." The old man piped up. "As luck would have it, Hassleberry did the right thing. It's activated by swallowing it."

"_You talk too much,"_ Mori began to run towards Hassleberry. _"I'll crush that face of yours. I only need your body."_

"Watch! Hassleberry will transform!"

"Huh?"

"Transform?" Hassleberry's entire body glowed white.

"What the…" Hassleberry started.

"AH!" The gang shielded their eyes from the light.

"What do you mean transform?" Haru asked. "Is that the power of the weapon he ate?"

"Hmmm…" Daisy said thoughtfully. "Will he look like this?" Daisy imagined a Hassleberry with demon horns and wings. "Or like this?" She imagined Hassleberry dressed like Superman.

"Daisy, are you five?" Aster asked, sweat dropping.

"_I'm going to end this! I'll shatter your skull, and your body will be mine!"_ Mori yelled, his fist heading for Hassleberry's head.

WHAM!

…

"How did they find us?" Chloe yelled, running through the forest with Selena and Melody. Behind them were two warlocks who were gradually gaining on them.

"I don't know." Melody yelled back. "They must be attracted to sound warriors, or maybe it's your powers, sister." Selena noticed the three of them were approaching a fork in the path.

"Let's split up." Selena said. "I'll go down the left one. You two take the right."

"What?"

"No way!"

"They probably are attracted to you two. That way, they'll chase you and you can defeat them."

"She's right, sister." Chloe said.

"Fine. Split!" Melody and Chloe ran down the path on the right, whilst Selena ran down the left. The warlocks stopped running, looked left and right, and ran down the path Selena took.

"Oh no! They're chasing Jesse's girlfriend! We have to help her!" Chloe spun around and ran back to where Selena went.

"Sister! Urgh! Wait for me!" Melody ran after her younger sister.

Meanwhile, Selena looked over her shoulder, and she saw the two warlocks gaining on her.

_Why are they chasing me?_ Selena thought. _I'm scared. Someone, help me!_ Selena ran out of the forest, and stopped running with a gasp. She was in a large clearing that had a lake in the centre that filled almost the entire clearing. Selena spun around. The warlocks had stopped running and were walking towards her slowly, mouths watering. Selena backed away from them slowly, until she heard the back of her shoe splash into the water.

"Go away!" Selena begged. "Please!" Selena began to tremble as a warlock hand reached out towards her.

"NOOOOOOOO!!" She screamed, clenching her fists and squeezing her eyes shut. Suddenly, a giant wave rose form the lake behind her, and it splashed onto the warlocks, who began to roar in agony. Selena opened one eye nervously. She saw the warlocks writhing and screaming and their bodies glowing yellow. Chloe and Melody arrived just in time to see the warlocks burst into yellow dust, and a dumbfounded Selena.

"Okay, I have no idea how that happened, but I am not complaining." Selena said to herself.

"Selena, are you alright?" Melody asked.

"I…I think so."

"I didn't know you had powers. I mean you'd have to have used some to defeat those things." Chloe said.

"I have powers?" Selena looked around. "There's more coming."

"How do you know?"

"I don't know. I just do. Almost like I can…" Before Selena could finish her sentence, a pack of a mixture of demons and warlocks emerged from the trees and began to encircle the three girls.

"You can sense warlocks!" Melody exclaimed.

"I can sense warlocks?"

"Why didn't you tell us?" Chloe asked.

"I didn't know I could do this. I swear." The monsters got closer and closer to the girls.

"What do we do?" Chloe asked.

"We fight them." Melody drew out her wooden flute. The monsters stopped walking. Their gaze fell on Selena. Ignoring the sisters, they all walked to Selena.

"Their attracted to her again."

"But why?" Melody wondered.

"Leave me alone." Selena whimpered. The monsters growled and raise their clawed hands high in the air.

"HELP ME!" Selena screamed. The crescent moon necklace around her neck began to glow white, and her entire body was surrounded by a white glow. Melody and Chloe shielded their eyes.

"What's happening to me?" Selena said.

…

Mori's fist was directly on Hassleberry's forehead, and his hand was so big it covered the top half of Hassleberry's face. The rest of the gang watched nervously.

"The glowing…it's gone." Syrus said. Suddenly, there was a loud crack and a trickle of blood fell down Hassleberry's face.

"Oh…what was that sound?" Meno gasped.

"Heh. Music to my ears." Hiruko smirked. "That was the sound of a brain case being shattered."

"Brain case?" Jesse repeated nervously.

"Yup. Ever so sorry, but Hassleberry…" Hassleberry collapsed on the ground. "Is dead." Hiruko finished.

"What?" Aster gasped.

"Oh no." Daisy whispered. Meno buried her face in her hands, Syrus clung to a shaking Jesse, Aiko looked sadly at the ground and Hannah was furiously wiping away the wetness developing in her eyes.

_Did the talisman activate too late?_ The old man thought.

_Fwump_

"Huh?" Aiko looked behind her, and gasped. "Haru!" She kneeled down beside Haru, who had collapsed on the ground. "Are you okay? Wake up! Haru!" Jaden dropped onto his knees.

"No…it's not true…Hassleberry's not dead." Tears filled Jaden's eyes. "He beat Sekio…and Haru…it can't be."

"_Hiya, soldiers! Sergeant Tyranno Hassleberry reportin' for duty!"_

"_A sergeant always looks out for his soldiers."_

"_It was active?! No wonder private phoenix felt so light!"_

"_Positive outlook!"_

"_This war…is on."_

"HASSLEBERRY!" Jaden screamed.

"_Heheh. Now, Hassleberry, you are Mori."_ Mori said, his hand reaching towards Hassleberry.

"Get away from him!" Aster snapped, his hand reaching for his manacle.

_Krak!_

"_What?" _Mori looked at his right hand. Suddenly, it burst in a shower of dead skin and powdered bones, until the arm up to his elbow was gone.

"Huh?" Aster blinked.

"Er…what just happened?" Jesse asked. Jaden looked up, still crying, but dumbfounded.

"You called, Jaden?" Hassleberry said, stood up with a graze below his headband and his skin slightly darker, but alive. Jaden beamed.

"Alright!" Aster yelled.

"YES! HE'S ALIVE! DINO-BOY'S ALIVE!" Daisy squealed, hugging Meno, whose eyes shone with happiness.

"Wha…why didn't you say something sooner?" Jaden asked, wiping his eyes with his arm and standing up.

"Yeah, I thought I was dead too. But I'm okay."

"That crack was Mori's arm breaking. What a head." Jesse muttered.

"Old man, that's the power of the talisman you gave him, right?" Hannah asked.

"Yup."

"But…you said he was going to transform. Nothing happened." Daisy said. "I was expecting something more dramatic."

"He's already transformed."

"_Argh! You were lucky!"_ Mori charged at Hassleberry again.

"Look at him. Hassleberry's skin has become darker. It's almost the colour of iron. That's the power of the talisman. When swallowed, it makes the users body as hard as iron at their will. It's even harder than the toughest stone." The old man explained. Mori punched Hassleberry on the head with his left arm, but it too shattered into dust.

"Stop it, that tickles." Hassleberry taunted. He punched Mori on the head.

"_How are you doing this?! Hassleberry!"_

"Watch how you say that name." Hassleberry punched Mori on the head again, and this time knocked him onto the ground.

"Yeah!" Syrus cheered.

"YAY! Hassleberry won!" Daisy yelled. Hassleberry walked over to Mori's body. His eyes widened.

"The helmet's gone." On top of Mori's head, there was no helmet, leaving the skull exposed. "Did I knock it off? Here, helmet, helmet, helmet." Hassleberry scanned the ground around Mori.

"HASSLEBERRY! LOOK OUT! ABOVE YOU!" Aster shouted.

"Huh? What the…" Hassleberry looked up. Suddenly, Mori's helmet slammed onto his head. "AH! GEROFF!"

"_Heh. Not bad Hassleberry. But I'll have the last laugh!"_

"What's happening?" Meno gasped.

"Mori lived inside that helmet." The old man said. "And right now he's trying to take over Hassleberry."

"But as long as that thing inside him is active, he'll be okay, right?" Hannah asked hopefully.

"Well…yes. But…" As Hassleberry tried to pull the helmet off his head, his fingertips were gradually turning back to his original skin tone.

"His skin's getting lighter." Syrus gasped.

"Just as I thought. Hassleberry can't control it properly yet, so now, he'll have to fight Mori without it."

"Get it off! Get it off!" Hassleberry ran around the arena, fighting against Mori's control.

"When Hassleberry loses himself, and when Mori takes over his mind, Hassleberry will cease to exist, and a new Mori will be born."

"Hmmm…" Aster scratched his head. "This makes it difficult to decide who won."

"Yeah. I mean, I know its Mori's helmet and all…" Jaden said.

"But, it's still Hassleberry's mind and body."

"No it's not. Mori takes over Hassleberry's mind. Remember?" Aster pointed out. Daisy thought for a moment.

"Oh, yeah."

"But then again." Jaden muttered.

"It is his body. Does that mean it's a tie?" Aster wondered. Coco bit his ear. "OW! Coco, don't do that." Coco leapt off Aster's shoulder and trotted over to Aiko and Haru. "Haru! What's wrong with him?"

"I don't know."

"Look." Meno pointed at Hassleberry. He had stopped running, and he let his arms fall to his sides.

"Hassleberry's… stopped moving." Syrus whispered.

"Um… Hassleberry?" Jaden called out nervously. Hassleberry turned his head towards Hiruko.

"Guess it worked. Come over here, Mori." Hiruko ordered. Hassleberry began to walk towards Hiruko.

"What?!" Hannah exclaimed.

"Stop, please!" Jaden begged. "You're Hassleberry, not Mori."

"It's useless, slacker." Hiruko said. "Hassleberry's mind is already being destroyed, so your voice can't reach him. Soon, you'll be talking to a re-born Mori."

_Hassleberry, don't you even think about forgetting who you are._ Aster thought, clenching his fists. _And don't forget about us._

…

"Hey…where am I?" Hassleberry looked around him. He was in a pitch black space with balls the size of tennis balls floating all over.

"These balls… with things inside 'em." Hassleberry saw one with Haru in it. "Haru?" Suddenly, the ball began to crack, until it completely shattered. "AH! HARU'S BALL BROKE!" Hassleberry blinked. "Um…who's Haru?" Balls all around him began to shatter. "I've got to go somewhere… but where?" Hassleberry began to panic. Another one shattered behind him. "Who…who am I?" Hassleberry saw Mori's helmet float in front of him.

"_Heh heh. We're inside your mind Hassleberry, where your memories are being deleted."_ Several more orbs broke. _"Soon, very soon, you shall be deleted, and you shall become Mori."_ The final memory orb began to glow. _"WHAT?! Why isn't that one breaking?"_

"Huh?" Hassleberry looked inside. There was an image of Jaden grinning goofily. "Jaden?"

"_Hey, private! It's been two weeks since I moved into the red barracks. Whaddya say we throw down again?"_

"_Hmmm…okay. If you win, I'll do your homework for a week. But that's a big "if". HAHAHA!"_

"Heh heh… good times." Hassleberry laughed. "I haven't managed to beat him once. When he lost to Aster, I couldn't believe my eyes." Hassleberry's eyes widened. "Aster?" Another orb reformed behind him, and inside was a determined Aster. "Aster!"

"_I've got my friends by my side, and we're all going to kick your butt and rescue our friends together, no matter what it takes."_

"Yeah, that's what he said when his pappy was taken. He never asked to be a phoenix warrior, but when his girlfriend was taken he just charged straight ahead to rescue her." He punched a fist in his palm. "Yeah. That's why we're all here. We're all helping Aster get his mom back." Gradually, the memory balls reformed. "We're a team. We're all fighting against Miranda together."

"_His mind is reforming?! This is impossible!"_ The last memory orb was repaired.

"I'M TYRANNO HASSLEBERRY!"

…

"Huh?" Hiruko raised an eyebrow. Hassleberry had stopped moving and the helmet was shaking. "What's wrong Mori? Come here."

"What's going on?" Meno asked.

"Your guess is as good as mine." Syrus said.

"_ARGH! H-Hiruko!"_ The helmet began to crack. _"It's impossible to take over. Such…mental strength!"_ Hassleberry punched the helmet, and it shattered completely, freeing him. Hiruko's eyes widened.

"No way." He muttered. The gang stared at Hassleberry, amazed.

"Did Mori just say…mental strength?" Aster asked.

"I think he did." Jesse answered. Hassleberry stumbled slightly.

"OOO, my head." He groaned. "Maybe I shouldn't have punched my head so hard." Hassleberry shook his head quickly to recover from the dizziness and threw the axe end of his weapon onto the edge of the cliff to climb up it back to the gang.

"Hassleberry!" Jaden yelled, dashing to Hassleberry with a grin on his face. Hassleberry smirked back, and high-fived him.

_I owe him big time. It's thanks to him I was able to win. Heh, how ironic. I got the strength to win from my rival._ Before Hassleberry could say anything, Hannah and Aster kicked him on the back, knocking him face down into the ground.

"DON'T EVER DO THAT AGAIN!" They both yelled at the same time. "WE WERE WORRIED SICK!"

"I'm sorry." Hassleberry whined.

"I can tell the two of them are related." Aiko muttered, sweat dropping.

"What're you doing down here?" Hassleberry asked, turning his head to Aiko.

"Well…" Aiko shuffled out of the way to show Haru. Hassleberry's eyes widened.

"Haru!" Hassleberry crawled over to Haru's side. "What happened?"

"I don't know. When we thought you were dead, Haru just collapsed." Hassleberry placed a hand on the side of Haru's face.

"He's freezing. He must have fainted."

"But why?" Meno asked.

"I dunno." Jesse shrugged.

"Can we get out of here now? I hate looking at dead people!" Syrus snapped impatiently.

"I don't usually agree with ya, but I wanna get away from that thing down there. Its bad enough I had to fight it, but to stare at it for the rest of the day? No thanks."

"Uh…one problem. One of us has passed out." Hannah pointed out.

"Yeah, yeah, I think we already know that, female phoenix." Hassleberry muttered.

"I TOLD YOU BEFORE, STOP CALLING ME THAT!" Hannah yelled. Hassleberry picked Haru up in his arms.

"You never change, female phoenix." Hassleberry shook his head.

"I SAID STOP IT!"

"It really annoys her when you call her that, Hassleberry." Aiko said.

"I know. That's why I do it." Hassleberry grinned.

"Let's get moving already." Aster snapped. "I wanna get some earth moves mastered before girlie boy wakes up."

"Yes, sir." Jaden saluted.

"You don't have to call me sir, Jaden. And you don't need to salute me either. You coming old…" Aster looked around for the old man, but he was gone. Shrugging it off, Aster turned around and began to walk away.

"Phoenix!" Aster turned back around to face Hiruko. "Can I ask you something?" Hiruko asked.

"You go ahead guys. I'll catch up." Aster said to the others. "What do you want?" Hiruko looked at the ground.

"You haven't seen Mariko anywhere have you?"

"Why are you asking me?!" Aster snapped. "I thought twins were supposed to have some kind of psychic link!"

"That's identical twins!" Hiruko yelled back.

"Whatever! Anyway, your sister was messing around with Syrus' head!" Hiruko's eyes widened. He glanced at the ground again.

"I see…" He muttered.

_What the…_ Aster thought. He saw a blue spirit who looked exactly like Hiruko standing next to Hiruko.

"_I don't want Mariko to be evil. Miranda said she wouldn't do anything like that. But if she has, I'm leaving."_ The spirit said.

_This is like my mind reading, but I've never heard something so…personal._

"Thank you." Hiruko muttered, and he disappeared in a flash of orange light.

_Could I…could I have an ability to see into people's souls as well as their minds?_ Aster shook his head quickly to brush off the thought and ran to catch up with the others. Suddenly, he ran into Jesse's back.

"Hey, what gives?" Aster snapped. Jesse and Aiko had stopped walking and were staring into the forest several miles away. "Um…hello?" Aiko flew off towards the forest and Jesse ran after her. Aster blinked.

"I'll tell them you'll be back soon, yeah?" Aster yelled.

…

The old man wandered through the forest, deep in thought.

_I really didn't think he'd be able to beat Mori. Those kids are full of surprises._ The old man stopped walking when he saw Hiruko standing in front of him.

"Well, hello there! How can I help you?" The old man asked.

"Cut the act, I know it's you." Hiruko snapped.

"That's no way to talk to your superiors."

"I know it's you. You're goofy personality stands out a mile. You may be good at changing your appearance, but you acting sucks."

"Yeah, it could do with some improvement."

"So come out of your disguise already." There was a puff of smoke around the old man. When it cleared, Alister stood on the same spot. "I thought you said you weren't going to betray us."

"I'm not. I just wanted to help them. It is my duty as a samurai."

"Who are you helping?" Hiruko demanded. Alister hesitated.

"You know that boy who controls lightning?"

"Who doesn't?"

"My village is sworn to serve and protect the master of the glove of Rai."

"So you're willing to betray Miranda for some silly ninja pact?" Hiruko asked. "Sounds pretty stupid. You know Miranda's gonna skin ya when she finds out."

"I'm being careful, Hiruko. And so should you." Hiruko's eyes widened. "I know what you're up to. Remember that." Alister leapt into the tree tops and out of sight.

"Alister…" Hiruko hissed.

**Am I getting good at cliff hangers or am I getting good at cliff hangers? Well, just to let you know, my GCSE's are finally finished, so expect a lot more chapters a lot faster. Will Hiruko leave the assassins? What's happening to Selena? Is Haru okay? Find out next time, only in Phoenix Fire.**


	16. Chapter 16: Attack

**I'M SORRY! I had a two and a bit week holiday in America, then straight afterwards I had Key Youth Theatre! Then I went to the cinema and was in town with my friends for a few days, plus there were the GCSE results and me and my parents were celebrating! So, er, yeah. I've been a tad bit busy. But not to worry. I'll try to make it up to you by uploading more chapters. Here ya go.**

**Note: Juu is Japanese for ten, and senshi is Japanese for warrior. This will make sense later on.**

Chapter 16

Attack

"GRRRRAAAAHHHH!" A warlock roared, its clawed arms ready to strike.

"Oh, shut up." A kunai knife landed on his head and, within seconds, it disappeared into yellow dust. A woman stepped out of the trees and into the small clearing. This woman had hip length black loose hair and narrow light blue eyes. She was dressed in a light blue kimono that was halfway down to her knees and its only sleeve covered her right arm. Her left arm was decorated with a black over the elbow glove that covered the back of her hand, and a shorter glove that covered only her wrist and the back of her hand was on the right arm. On her feet were black ballerina style shoes and light blue legwarmers. Around her neck was a red oval shaped crystal on a thin silver chain.

"Honestly. Sometimes I wonder if these monsters have a brain at all." She tossed some black hair over her shoulder. "Only an idiot would face me." Alister appeared in a flash of red light next to the woman.

"Identity check." His hand went into his pocket and pulled out a small sphere that was half the size of his hand. It flashed red and the number two appeared, and then disappeared. "Juusenshi number two: Alister." The woman lifted the red crystal around her neck off her skin. It flashed red, and the number four appeared inside the crystal and disappeared.

"Juusenshi number four: Carmen."

"Goody." Alister said cheerfully, placing his sphere back in his pocket. "Now that we're certain the other isn't an impostor, give your progress report."

"I encountered a few monsters. I dispatched them easily. I found out nothing on the boy of the phoenix."

"Boring." Alister moaned, yawning.

"Oh? Then tell me your report."

"Well…I've found the location of the phoenix boy and his friends. Not only that, but the stone wielder's with them."

"I see. What's the stone wielders status?"

"He passed out."

"What? Why?"

"Do you remember his "condition"?"

"Oh…right."

"There shall be an attack commencing in ten minutes. We are to make our way to the jagged rock immediately to decide on battle plans."

"Right." Carmen nodded, and turned around to leave.

"Oh, and by the way…" Carmen stopped walking. "Mori is dead." Carmen's eyes widened.

"What do you…" Carmen started, turning around again, but Alister was gone. "Alister?" No response. "I hate it when he does that."

"Why are you following me, Jesse?"

"I heard Selena screaming. She's in trouble."

"Who's Selena?"

"My girlfriend. Why are you flying this way?"

"I sensed a whole group of demons and warlocks. Not only that, but there's a sound warrior and I can faintly detect a guardian like me." Aiko flew past the clearing Carmen was in, followed by Jesse, who ran after her. "Besides, this running might not be good for you. What if you have another attack and start coughing up blood again?"

"Sod my condition. Selena's in danger."

"Sound warrior, eh?" Carmen said to herself thoughtfully. She remembered when Melody released her Requiem in the castle. "She's the one who broke my barrier. Now there's a girl I want to fight." Carmen looked at the spot Alister stood earlier. "Sorry, Alister. I'm going to be a little bit late." Carmen leapt into the treetops and jumped from tree branch to tree branch; following the path Aiko and Jesse took.

…

"_Hey, get over here ducks." A boy of eleven years old, with long blonde hair tied up in a high ponytail and dressed in a short sleeved white button up shirt and blue trousers with black shoes, was kneeling beside a pond in the shade of a cherry blossom tree. A few metres away was an old fashioned school house, and next to it was a square shaped stone arena the size of a swimming pool. Next to it, there was a similar arena, but with a concrete floor and four wooden archery style targets._

"_I've got some grub." The boy tapped the surface of the water. "Earth to ducks." The mother duck and three ducklings didn't respond. "HEY!" He splashed one of the ducklings with a wave. Instantly, the mother duckling swam towards him and bit his hand. "OWOWOW!" He yelped, trying to shake the duck off his hand. A woman with loose long blonde hair and wearing a long sleeved beige polo neck jumper and blue jeans held the boys wrist, gently eased the duck off the boys hand and let the duck back into the pond. The duck quacked once, and the ducklings followed._

"_Are you alright, Haru?" She asked, examining his hand._

"_It's fine, Mrs Kinoshita." Haru answered, squirming away from her. She smiled._

"_You can call me Mandy when no one's around, you know."_

"_But mom, we're at school. And you're one of the teachers." Haru kicked a stone in the pond and glared at the ducks. "Why do ducks always attack people?" Haru shifted his gaze to the grass, sulking._

"_It's any mother's reaction." Mandy kneeled down beside Haru. "If someone bites their children, they bite back." Mandy pretended to bite Haru on his neck and tickled him. Haru laughed and let Mandy place and arm round his shoulder after he'd calmed down._

"_When's Dad coming back?"_

"_Now Haru, you know that your father's in a battle, and as the head commander of the stone wielder army, he has lots of work to do." Mandy paused when she saw Haru's sad face. "He's not gonna get killed. I just got a message from him saying that he'll be home in a few days."_

"_Okay."_

"_Why don't you go off with your friends? After all, recess is almost over."_

"_I don't wanna."_

"_Aw, come on. Don't you want to play with Aiko?" Mandy teased._

"_Mom!" Haru exclaimed, blushing furiously._

"_Haru, you wanna play a game with us?" A girl with tomboy short black hair waved at Haru. She was wearing a blue pinafore dress over a short sleeved white shirt._

"_There you go. Play with her. Go on."_

"_But mom, I don't wanna play with girls. All they do is practice handstands and cartwheels."_

"_Haru!" The girl yelled._

"_Alright, alright! I'm coming!" Haru exclaimed, standing up and running to the girl, who grabbed his hand._

"_Come over to the fountain. We're waiting for you." She ran towards a group of girls who were waving at her from a distance._

"_Easy on the grip, May." Haru said, forcing his hand out of May's when she stopped running after reaching a small fountain. "I'm not doing anymore cartwheels." Haru warned the four girls, including May, who were wearing the same school uniform as May._

"_Aw!" A girl with waist length blonde hair whined. "But Aiko's been practicing for you."_

"_Aiko?" A ten year old Aiko looked up, but turned away as soon as she saw Haru, blushing._

"_That's right. We all have." Another girl with curly shoulder length red hair said. Haru backed away nervously._

"_If you wanna go out with a stone wielder, go ask Dennis."_

"_But he's already got the rest of the girls going out with him. And the rest are idiots." May complained._

"_That leaves just you." The red head girl said._

"_Leave him alone," Aiko protested._

"_Be quiet!" The blonde girl snapped, making Aiko wince._

"_Yes, Becky."_

"_Besides, what's wrong with learning gymnastics?" Becky shrugged._

"_It's girly." The red head girl shot a fireball from her fist at Haru's feet, prompting him to jump backwards, land on his hands and somersault back onto his feet._

"_They certainly seem to be useful." May said. All the girls, except Aiko, giggled. Haru cringed, embarrassed._

"_What's this game we're playing anyway?"_

"_It's simple." Becky picked up an apple and placed it on Aiko's head. "We fire at the apple and try to knock it off Aiko's head."_

"_Why are you using Aiko?" Haru asked, hands on hips. "Is this because she hasn't earned her guardian form yet like the rest of you?"_

"_Of course it is." The red head girl said cheerfully._

"_Amber!" Haru exclaimed angrily._

"_Do I get a turn?" Aiko asked._

"_If you had a turn, then you wouldn't have any powers to knock it down with." Becky said. Aiko looked down._

"_And keep your head up, or the apple will fall off."_

"_Yes, Amber."_

"_Stand up straight."_

"_Yes, May."_

"_Keep your hands by your sides."_

"_Yes, Becky."_

"_Right. Now that everything's sorted, I'll go first." Amber declared. She shot a small amount of fire from her fingertips, missing the apple, but causing the stem to catch fire. Within second, the flame started to spread to the skin of the apple. Haru's eyes widened. Instinctively, Haru rushed forward, grabbed Aiko by the waist and they both landed in the fountain with a huge splash. _

"_Are you okay?" Haru asked Aiko. She nodded. The apple floated by the two of them, the stem now not on fire. May picked the apple up and tossed it up and down in her hand._

"_See?" May said to Amber and Becky. "I told you it would work. Now we know that Haru likes Aiko." Haru and Aiko stared at the three girls as they giggled and began chanting "Haru likes Aiko! Haru likes Aiko!" Haru scowled, climbed out of the water and stomped towards the school house, dripping wet and grumbling under his breath. Mandy walked out of the school house at that very moment._

"_Okay, children! Recess is over! Back to class!" She yelled. Haru stormed past her. "Haru, why are you wet?"_

"_Girls are crazy!" Haru exclaimed, throwing his arms up in the air._

…

"_Stupid girls with their stupid games." Haru grumbled, walking quickly out of the school house at the end of the day. "AH-TCHOO!" Haru sneezed. "Why can't they leave Aiko alone?" Haru kicked a pebble hard enough to send it flying several metres away. "Now I've got a cold. Stupid girls!" Suddenly, a small stone wall burst out in front of him, and Haru walked straight into it. He moaned rubbing his head._

"_Pathetic. If you were a real stone wielder, you'd be able to break through it." Haru looked to his left, and three older boys, wearing the same uniform as him, was standing a couple of metres away, smirking._

"_Oh great." Haru muttered. "Hello, Jack. Hello, Tom. Hello, Sam."_

"_Bad day?"_

"_Uh huh."_

"_Good. Because we're gonna make it worse."_

"_And your sister isn't here to save you."_

"_Leave her out of it!" Haru yelled, running towards them angrily. One of the boys raised a hand calmly, and held Haru at arms length by his head, whilst Haru's fists waved around furiously._

"_What long hair you've got." He said. "It's weird that you don't get it cut." Haru's arms became limp._

"_You did cut it off, Jack. Four weeks ago!"_

"_No talking back!" Another boy snapped. "Enough chatting. Whaddya say we rough him up a little bit, fellas?"_

"_You bet." The three boys cracked their knuckles. Haru swallowed nervously._

…

"_How many times do I have to tell you Haru? Stay out of trouble." Mandy sighed, placing a first aid box on the coffee table, whilst Haru sat on the sofa next to it, covered in dirt and a few scratches._

"_I don't get in trouble. Trouble gets into me." Haru whined. Mandy sighed._

"_I know. It's enough hassle being a teacher and a parent, and it's bad enough that you get beaten up every week. You're practically a magnet for trouble." Mandy dabbed a wet cotton wool ball on Haru's knee underneath the torn trousers._

"_I'm sorry, Mom." Haru muttered, looking down._

"_You don't have to apologise, Haru."_

"_Huh?" Haru looked up again. Mandy smiled._

"_Because if you didn't get in trouble, I wouldn't be able to spend this much time with you. I like worrying about you, otherwise all my mothering wouldn't be put to good use." Mandy picked a plaster out of the first aid box. "Here." Mandy placed the plaster on Haru's left knee._

"_Ow! That hurt."_

"_Sorry." Mandy stood up. "By the way, you have a visitor." Mandy indicated the open living room door. Aiko stood in it, looking at the floorboards._

"_Aiko?"_

"_Um…can we talk?"_

"_I'll leave you two alone." Mandy backed out of the door, grinning a little bit, and closed the door behind her. Aiko sat on the sofa next to Haru, who squirmed nervously._

"_You know when you saved me?"_

"_Yeah?" Aiko fiddled with her brown hair._

"_I want to thank you." Haru blushed slightly._

"_Er…sure. No problem." Haru folded his arms. "Y'know, you shouldn't let those girls push you around so much. Just because they can transform and you can't, it doesn't give them a reason to pick on you. You'll get your guardian powers. It just takes time."_

"_Hee hee." Aiko giggled. "You sound like my teacher."_

"_Of course I do. Your teacher's my mom. You may have to put up with her for a few hours, but I have to live with her. Every day!" Haru exclaimed, waving his arms in the air. "Ow." Haru clutched his right shoulder._

"_Are you okay?"_

"_It's nothing. Jack and his gang beat me up again. They do it so much; it's almost part of my daily routine." Haru listed the things on his fingers. "Get up. Get dressed. Have breakfast. Go to school. End of school. Get beaten up. Come home from school. Train with Sekio, and look absolutely stupid because I can't do anything right. Have tea, and go to bed." Haru sighed. "Man, my life sucks."_

"_Where's Nevara?" Aiko asked. Haru looked down sadly._

"_She was banished. And she's never coming back." Aiko gasped. "But someday, I'm going to see her again." Aiko smiled._

"_I'm sure you will, Haru. And it will definitely be a reunion you won't want to forget."_

…

"Mm," Haru's eyes twitched, and they eventually opened. He squinted and shielded his eyes as the sunlight shined on him. Haru sat up and leaned on the rock behind him, rubbing his head. "What a weird dream."

"_I'm sure you will, Haru. And it will definitely be a reunion you won't want to forget."_

"Yeah, right."

"MORNIN', SLEEPING BEAUTY!" Hassleberry shouted loudly.

"EYAH!" Haru yelled, almost hitting his head on the rock. Hassleberry was sitting next to him, his back against the rock and grinning. "Hassleberry! Are you insane?!"

"Well, at least your reactions aren't down." Hassleberry laughed. Haru glared at him.

"How can you laugh when you almost gave me a concussion?"

"Er…your welcome?"

"W…wait a minute." Haru remembered when Hassleberry fought Mori, right up to the punch on Hassleberry's head. "Didn't you…die?"

"Nah." Hassleberry shrugged. "That weapon the geezer gave me saved my life."

"The one you swallowed?"

"That's the one. Boy, now that I think about it, the way I panicked after I ate it was kinda funny." Hassleberry began to laugh again.

_At least he's alright._ Haru thought, relieved.

"What happened?" Hassleberry asked after he'd calmed down.

"Huh?"

"Private phoenix told me that after Mori took his helmet off, you felt dizzy. Then, after my "death", you fainted. I thought I was gonna panic again. Why did you faint?"

"I did?"

"You did." Hassleberry nodded. Haru moaned and buried his face in his hands.

"This is so embarrassing. It's been years since I've passed out."

"Oh?"

"Alright." Haru removed his hands from his head. "I'll tell you. Y'know I told you about how my parents died?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, after that, my brother and I went on an assassination. We didn't want anything else to happen to us, so we accepted it. But, as soon as we got there, our target had already been killed. Just staring at that body made me want to be sick, but instead, I felt really dizzy. All I could see was that day when mom and dad died. In fact, I felt so dizzy, I passed out right there and then, and when I woke up again, I was back in our room."

"Did you go on another assassination?" Haru nodded.

"As soon as I woke up, we were given another order."

"What happened?" Haru shrugged.

"I dunno. Sekio stabbed a guy through the heart. I woke up a few hours later in our room again. After that, Miranda assigned me to small jobs like search and retrieve missions and kidnappings."

"I see." Hassleberry turned away. "Sorry I had to ask."

"No. It's not your fault. It's mine for having this condition."

"But hold on a minute. What about when Meno went berserk?" Hassleberry asked, remembering Meno's attack on the army. "Instead of losing consciousness, you just panicked."

"Like I said, it's been at least five years since I've seen a dead body, let alone someone dying in front of me. Meno's attack brought the memories back, and now…well, you know."

"Right." Haru picked up a pebble and threw it forward, watching it bounce on the ground before coming to a standstill.

"I just keep getting more and more pathetic." Haru said, picking up another pebble and throwing it.

"That's a stupid thing to say."

"It's true though. Ever since I was a child, Sekio, Nevara and I were all labelled as soon as others saw us."

"What do you mean?"

"Well… Nevara… she was the one all the teenagers were in love with. They didn't know about her powers, but she was still beautiful, and everyone loved her. Even me. She meant the world to me, and when she was banished, I felt like my world had been torn apart. And now that I know she's on the wrong side, it's so painful, I can't describe it. Then there was Sekio; the middle child. He was top of the advanced class in stone wielding, and he was only nine back then."

"He was that strong?"

"Yeah, of course. He was ranked number nine in the assassins, after all."

"Wow. I fought him without realising how strong he was."

"Anyway, he was extremely talented. My parents would practically worship the ground the walked on. I looked up to him. A lot." Haru looked at his hand. "And then there was me."

"So what were you? The girly yet strong stone wielder? The young man of the stone?" Hassleberry asked enthusiastically.

"Neither."

"Neither?"

"Neither. I was labelled "baby brother", and that was that."

"EH? You mean nobody even paid any attention to you?!" Hassleberry exclaimed.

"Mom cared about me, but dad was too busy with Sekio, so I spent almost all of my time with Nevara. But either way, my stone wielding skills were poor, and I was looked down upon. Even when with Miranda, the harsh treatment continued. If Sekio wasn't there, I would've gone insane long ago. That's why I'm so pathetic. I'm reminiscing over my dead family, and I'm putting everyone in danger because of a childish wish. It's stupid."

"What's stupid is the way you're talking."

"Eh?"

"You shouldn't blame yourself for wanting your sister back. It's not your fault she's gone crazy. It's not your fault your family died. And it's certainly not your fault for passing out on us. Nobody's blaming you, so stop blaming yourself all the time, 'cause it's getting annoying." Haru stared at Hassleberry. "What?"

"Oh, it's…it's nothing. It's the first time I've ever really opened up to anyone. It's amazing that you handled it so calmly."

"I died today, Haru. I think I can handle anything by now."

"I guess you're right. Where are the others?"

"Training."

"I suppose I'd better join them and tell them I'm okay." Haru stood up.

"No need." Aster said, popping out from behind the rock.

"WAAAAAAH!!" Haru and Hassleberry yelled.

"Don't creep up on us like that, private!"

"That's the second time in one day!"

"Sorry. I was going to check up on ya, but I couldn't help but overhear you two talking."

"So you eavesdropped." Haru said. Aster nodded.

"You are so dead." Haru and Hassleberry growled at the same time, clenching their fists. Aster grimaced.

"Sorry sorry. I'll just tell them you're okay." Aster quickly activated his phoenix wings and flew away. Silence.

"HAHA!" Haru laughed. "I can't believe we scared Aster." Hassleberry blinked whilst Haru laughed.

"You look nice when you smile."

"Wha…" Hassleberry turned away.

"You...should smile like that more often. 'Cause the sad look…really doesn't suit you." Haru stared at Hassleberry as he walked towards the rest of the gang in the distance.

_Hassleberry…_ Haru thought. He snapped out of his trance.

"Hey! Wait up!" He yelled, running after Hassleberry.

…

"Are we there yet?" Jesse asked, exasperated.

"Almost." Aiko answered. She landed feet first on the ground, and Jesse crashed into her.

"OOF! Sorry."

"We're here. The presence of a guardian is even stronger here." She parted the trees and entered the clearing, Jesse close behind. Dozens of warlocks were crowded around the side of a lake.

"Monsters!" Jesse exclaimed.

"Jesse? Is that you?" Melody jumped over the wall of warlocks and ran to Jesse. "Thank god you're okay."

"What about Chloe?"

"I'm fine." She answered, joining Melody by her side. "But there was someone else with us. What was her name?" She asked Melody.

"It was Selena stupid." Melody exclaimed. "Jeez, we met her five minutes ago and you've already forgotten her name."

"Selena?!" Jesse gasped. "Where is she?"

"Up there." Chloe pointed at a bright yellow light in the sky, and the monsters were staring up at it.

"That's Selena?" Jesse asked. "Why is she glowing?"

"I don't know. The monsters were attracted to her, and when she screamed, that moon necklace she was wearing started to glow."

"Attracted to her? I see…" Aiko said thoughtfully.

"Who's she?" Melody asked.

"A friend of Haru's. Her name is Aiko."

"I know why Selena's glowing." Aiko declared. "But first…Jesse, do you know what that necklace she was wearing looks like?"

"Yes. It's a silver chain, with a silver crescent moon on it. I bought it for her."

"Uh huh. And you two. Did anything strange happen to Selena before she started glowing?"

"Well, two warlocks were chasing after her, and when we arrived, they turned into dust." Chloe said

"I knew it. Selena is transforming."

"Transforming? Into one of those things?" Chloe panicked.

"No." Aiko shook her head. The light around Selena began to fade away. "She is…a guardian." The light around Selena faded away completely.

"Wow." Melody breathed.

"Selena?" Jesse whispered. Selena was completely transformed. She was wearing a blue and white long sleeved cheerleader style dress with a turtleneck, and a silver crescent moon on the front. On her feet was a pair of white ankle boots with blue over the knee socks. Her ears were pointed, her white hair had dark blue highlights and there were light blue wings on her back. She held in her right hand a blue wand with a silver crescent moon inside a circle on top, and the bottom the wand was decorated with a dark blue gem.

"Wh…what the…" Selena started, looking at her costume and weapon. "What is this? Why am I flying? I don't like this."

"Selena!" Aiko yelled. "It's alright! Destroy the warlocks first, and then I'll explain everything to you!"

"R-r-right." Selena stammered. "Destroy them. How do I do that?"

"Raise your weapon in the air."

"Like this?" Selena raised her wand above her head. Immediately, a giant wave rose up behind her from the lake. "AH!"

"That's supposed to happen. Now, wave it at the warlocks."

"Okay." Selena pointed the wand at the warlocks. The wave obeyed, and splashed onto a tenth of the warlocks. "I think I'm getting the hang of this." Selena waved the wand at the rest of the warlocks and, bit by bit, they were destroyed, and when the wave was nothing more than puddles, the warlocks disappeared into dust.

"Great job, Selena!" Aiko yelled.

"No, thank YOU!" She spotted Jesse and beamed. "Jesse!" She flew towards Jesse, wobbling slightly, and landed on the ground next to him. She lost her balance when she landed, but Jesse caught her and embraced her.

"Thank goodness you're alright." Jesse sighed, relieved.

"As long as you're here, Jesse, I'll always be okay." Suddenly, slow applause interrupted them. The five of them looked up, and Carmen was standing by the edge of the lake, clapping.

"Bravo, fairy. I couldn't have done better myself. Well, maybe I could, but I'm rather modest."

"Who're you?" Selena asked.

"Oh, silly me. Where are my manners?" Carmen giggled. "I'm a member of the Juusenshi. I'm Carmen. Pleased to meet you."

"Juusenshi?" Aiko repeated.

"What the heck are the Juusenshi?" Jesse wondered.

"Have you seen a sound warrior anywhere?"

"That's me." Melody raised a hand.

"Hmmm? So it was you who destroyed my barrier."

"YOU made that barrier?" Jesse exclaimed, remembering Melody's requiem attack.

"Yup." Carmen said cheerfully. She gave the group and icy glare. "The rest of the Juusenshi will kill you today. I just wanted to say hello…and goodbye." She turned her back on them. "Oh, and Melody? I look forward to seeing you again if you live." Carmen disappeared in a flash of blue light.

"Juusenshi." Chloe said.

"You think they're to do with Miranda?" Jesse asked.

"It's possible." Melody said.

"But…why can I transform into this?" Selena pinched part of her skirt.

"Oh, right!" Aiko gasped. "It's apparent that you have become a guardian like me. I know exactly how it feels to be new to transforming. I only just got the ability today. That's because a girl's powers are buried deep inside them. Even humans have powers inside them, and it takes a guardian charm to partially awaken them."

"Guardian charm?" Selena said. Aiko nodded. She raised her right arm and rolled up her sleeve. On her wrist was a silver chain bracelet with a silver charm resembling bow and arrows attached to it.

"They are in a form of a silver chain with a charm attached to it, which represents what powers the person will have. In your case, it is control over water. However, unless something triggers the powers to fully awaken, it's just a piece of jewellery. The wearer has to be in a situation where they are about to die." Selena gasped.

"Die?" She looked down. "Now that I think about it, I did see something glowing in Sri Lanka before the tsunami hit the hotel me and my parents were staying in."

"Then that was when your powers awakened."

"But…I've just come out of a year long coma that was caused by it."

"I see. Your moment of death was more…lethal. You would turn out alive, but gravely injured." Selena looked at her wand. It glowed blue. Selena's eyes widened as it shrank, and it suddenly appeared around her neck in its necklace form. Selena gripped the moon shaped charm.

"I can't believe this saved my life."

"It is hard to believe at first. But you have Jesse to thank for your powers and life, because without him, you wouldn't be here today in your guardian form."

_I…I saved her life._ Jesse thought, shocked.

"Jesse?" Selena said. "Are you okay?"

"I…" Jesse started. "I didn't know."

"It's alright." Jesse looked at Selena, who smiled at him.

"I'm not mad at you. I'm glad you bought this necklace for me. Without it, I wouldn't be able to see you. And now that I have powers, I'll finally be able to help you fight your enemy." She wrapped her arms around Jesse's neck. "So don't worry about me. I want to help. Okay?" She gave Jesse a flirty smirk, who smirked back.

"Yeah." Jesse nodded, and the tow of them shared a kiss. Aiko and Melody looked at each other, giving each other big smiles and raising their eyebrows. Chloe, meanwhile, was preoccupied with something else.

"_The rest of the Juusenshi will kill you today."_

_What could she mean?_ Chloe thought. She spotted a black hair on the ground. She bent down to pick it up, but as soon as she touched it, she saw a vision of Carmen landing beside a jagged rock in the forest, and yelling at some figures covered by shadows. Carmen peered through the tree branches, and saw Hassleberry and Aster arguing, whilst the rest of the gang watched. Carmen smirked.

"Oh no!" Chloe gasped as soon as the vision ended.

"What's wrong sister?" Melody asked.

"We have to go back to the others." Chloe said urgently, eyes wide with panic. "They're about to be attacked this very minute!"

…

Carmen jumped from a tree branch and onto the ground beside a jagged rock.

"Juusenshi number four: Carmen." Nevara stepped out of the shadows.

"You're late." Nevara said.

"Sorry. I had some business to take care of." Carmen apologised.

"You're soft, Nevara." Mokuren exclaimed. "I would've punished her straight away."

"Silence!" Carmen snapped. "That's no way to address your superiors!" Mokuren stared at Carmen, and then turned away, grumbling under his breath. "Besides, I'm here. What more do you want?"

"To welcome the new number ten of the Juusenshi." Alister threw a red orb at Armstrong. "As of today, Armstrong will replace Mori as the number ten Juusenshi."

"Why him?" Catalina protested.

"Jealous?" Armstrong teased, smirking.

"Why would I be?!" Catalina exclaimed. "You're way below me. Plus you lost your first fight. With a girl!"

"It was an acceptable loss. The girl was a charmcaster like him, and they are almost evenly matched against each other." Alister said.

"You can't hand out Juusenshi crystals as if they were sweets." Catalina said. "You even gave the number eight crystal to Magdala. And she lost against phoenix boy."

"Really, kitten. Does nothing please you?" Alister sighed, shaking his head.

"And stop calling me kitten!" Catalina snapped angrily.

"Because your father called you that?" Mariko asked. Catalina's eyes widened. "I'm right aren't I?" Mariko smiled wickedly. Catalina clenched her fists.

"Shut your mouth, number six." Catalina hissed.

"But there's no avoiding it, "number three". You have to accept your past one way or the other. You killed your father. Stop acting like nothing happened and face the light of reality. You're a murderer."

"I SAID SHUT UP!" Catalina screamed.

"That's enough." Hiruko said, stepping between the two girls. "Mariko, leave Catalina alone." Mariko smiled.

"You can't tell me what to do. You are less superior to me."

"I may be a number seven Juusenshi, but I'm still your big brother, and as long as I'm your twin, you'll stop striking other people with hurtful words. Especially if they're stronger than you." Mariko scowled. Alister applauded.

"Alright, alright. Great show. Now how about a word from our number one?" Alister said cheerfully.

"Thank you Alister." Nevara cleared her throat. "The plan of attack: restrain the stone wielder and phoenix boy."

"AW!" Mokuren whined. "Why can't I kill them on the spot?"

"If you'll let me finish!" Nevara snapped impatiently, glaring at Mokuren, who winced.

"Y-yes. Forgive me, Miss Nevara."

"As I was saying, surround phoenix and my brother. If any of the trash gets in the way, you have my permission to fight and kill them."

"HAHA! Now that's what I'm talking about!" Mokuren laughed. Carmen peered through the tree branches at Aster and Hassleberry.

"You had no right to eavesdrop on us!"

"I didn't mean to, I just happened to overhear!"

"That's the same thing!"

"Eavesdropping and overhearing are completely different!"

"Oh, yeah! Only a rich snob like you would say something like that!"

"What did you say?!" Hassleberry grabbed Aster's shirt.

"Rich kid!" Aster grabbed Hassleberry's shirt.

"Zombie!"

"GRRR!" They both growled, staring daggers at each other.

"Alright, break it up." Jaden pulled the two of them apart from each other. Carmen smirked.

"Time to fight."

…

"Alright, break it up." Jaden pulled Aster and Hassleberry away from each other.

"He started it." Aster and Hassleberry said at the same time, pointing at each other.

"Hassleberry, grow up." Haru shook his head.

"We've got bigger things to worry about." Daisy agreed.

"Like finding Nevara. But I'll only help if I can kick some butt." Hannah said.

"But one thing bothers me. Why are they killing all stone wielders?" Syrus asked. Hassleberry looked up.

"Beats the hell outta me." Aster shrugged.

"But they're after you as well, Aster. I'm worried about you." Meno said.

"Yeah. I'm the one who usually gets all the loonies." Jaden agreed.

"Whatever it is, I'm sure we'll find out why." Daisy said cheerfully, waving a hand airily.

"Speaking of which, I've got something to tell ya, soldiers." Hassleberry started.

"Aster!" Jesse yelled, running out of a forest with Chloe and Melody close behind, and Aiko and Selena flying after them.

"What's wrong?" Aster asked as soon as Jesse stopped running and was gasping for breath.

"Who's that blue girl?" Meno asked as soon as Aiko and Selena landed.

"Whoever she is, she's a total cutie!" Jaden exclaimed.

"Yeah, if you're into the foot long ears look." Hannah muttered.

"There's going to be an attack." Jesse said frantically. "They're called the Juusenshi, and they work for Miranda."

"Eh?" Aster raised an eyebrow.

"Juusenshi?" Jaden repeated.

"Oh no." Haru gasped.

"You know 'em?" Chloe asked.

"Of course. My brother was number nine. The Juusenshi are the ten most deadliest assassins among all those who serve Miranda. In fact, most of the enemies we've faced were Juusenshi." Haru listed on his fingers. "Ember replaced Sekio as number nine, Kai was number eight, Hiruko and Mariko are number seven and six, Catalina is number three and I'm assuming that my sister is number one."

"Whoa." Jesse muttered.

"This isn't something to be amazed about. If all members of the Juusenshi are attacking us, then we may have no hope of surviving."

"Is it just me, or do you make everything sound depressing?" Jaden wondered.

"Yeah, so they're gonna attack us. We'll be ready for them." Hassleberry said quickly. "Anyway, there's something I really, really have to tell you guys."

"We're being ambushed!" Aster gasped.

"What gave it away, genius?" Hannah said sarcastically. Aster placed a hand on the ground.

"I know but….it's coming from below ground. And it's heading…" His eyes widened. "EVERYBODY DOWN!"

BOOM!

A huge cloud of dust covered the area of wasteland the gang were in and reached all the way up to the sky. The dust cleared away gradually.

"Everyone…_koff koff_…are you alright?" Aster coughed.

"We're still here." Jesse said.

"That was scary." Meno whispered.

"Oh no!" Daisy yelled, pointing ahead of her. Out of nowhere, a tree with an extremely thick trunk had appeared, and it had creases similar to a face, and above the face, Jaden's head was poking out.

"Help!" Jaden shouted.

"Oh, shut up!" The tree exclaimed. "This is what you deserve after what you did."

"Mokuren!" Haru gasped. "How did he get so powerful?"

"Let Jaden go you bastard." Hannah spat.

"Or what?"

"Or you'll become a one tree forest fire is what." Hannah pulled out three sparrows from her bag.

"Hannah you idiot. What do you think will happen to Jaden if you use your flames?" Aster yelled. Hannah's eyes widened.

"Yippee! That means I can keep him!" Mokuren cheered. The tree started to creak and Jaden's face gradually went into the tree, until it disappeared from sight.

"No!" Hannah yelled, dropping onto her knees.

"Look out!" Meno pushed Hannah out of the way, just as Alister fell from the sky and crashed his sword into the ground.

"Dang it! I missed!" Alister whined. Jesse gasped.

_Alister?_ Jesse thought.

"Twin attack!" Mariko yelled, running towards the gang with Hiruko by her side, their right hands glowing blue. They shot blue energy darts from their hands at the ground the gang were standing on, creating another dust cloud.

"AH!" Everyone yelled.

"Ignore them. We have to save Jaden." Aster ran towards Mokuren, but Armstrong appeared in a flash of burgundy light, pointing a crossbow at him.

"I'm sorry, but you can't pass." Armstrong fired an arrow at Aster, hitting him on his left side.

"GAH!" Aster dropped onto one knee, clutching his wound.

"Aster!" Haru began to run towards Aster, but something tugged him on his long ponytail, and he fell onto his knees. "What?"

"Hmmm…so you're Haru, eh?" Haru looked over his shoulder, and Carmen was directly behind him, clutching his hair in her left hand. "Isn't Haru a girls name as well?" She smirked. "But then again, you do look like a girl, so I guess its okay."

"Carmen." Haru said.

"Yo, Nevara." Carmen yelled. "I've got him." Nevara teleported in front of Haru in a flash of light blue light.

"Good work. You can go ahead and kill him."

"Get away from him!" Hassleberry aimed a punch at Nevara, but she effortlessly caught his fist in her right hand. His eyes widened.

"How weak. I'm surprised you even beat two of our Juusenshi when you can't even land a blow on a girl. Mokuren!"

"What?"

"Catch!" Nevara effortlessly threw Hassleberry with one hand over to Mokuren, who caught him in a tree branch that wrapped around him and pinned his arms to his side.

"Lunchtime!" Mokuren said happily.

"AH! Don't eat me!" Hassleberry panicked. "I er…I taste bad!" Aster slapped his forehead.

"Hassleberry…" He groaned, shaking his head. Aster pulled the arrow out from his side. "Ow!" Aster clutched his injury as he stood up. He removed his hand from it, expecting his hand to be covered in blood, but there wasn't any. And there was no sign of an injury. Even the hole in his jacket was repaired.

_What the…_ Aster thought. _Did I just regenerate? I thought phoenix warriors weren't_ _supposed to regenerate._

"That's because they're not." Mariko appeared behind Aster.

"Get out my head!" Aster attempted to attack Mariko, but she disappeared as soon as his hand passed through her. She appeared again behind Aster.

"That's why you're the boy of the phoenix."

"Stop calling me that!"

"Nevara, I have a better idea." Carmen said.

"Oh?"

"Why don't we kill Haru's friends in front of him?"

"Why?"

"His "condition". If he passes out, it will make it easier for us to kill him." Nevara smiled.

"Great plan, number four. Its plans like that which makes you a Juusenshi. Everyone, you have my permission to kill these brats."

"Yahoo!" Mokuren cheered.

"Alright!" Catalina yelled. She moved her gaze to Meno. "I've got dibs on the Kishido." Meno gasped. Syrus activated his sword and hit Catalina across the face with the flat end of it. "OOF!"

"Bad kitty." Syrus muttered.

"Thank you." Meno said quietly.

"Time to kill." Mariko hissed. Hiruko frowned.

_Mariko…_ He thought.

"Don't!" Haru yelled. Carmen grabbed the hair on top of his head in her other hand.

"You're not going anywhere." She snapped.

"Haru!" Aster shouted.

"Oh no you don't!" Mokuren raised a whip like tree branch and made it head towards Aster.

"Whoa!" Aster jumped into the air to avoid it. The attack made a giant crack in the ground, and gradually, the two sides came apart, creating a huge chasm. Aster landed on the ground with one hand to support himself.

_He wasn't this strong at the hospital. What caused it?_

"Someone's distracted." Mokuren sang. A tree branch wrapped around Aster's waist and arms, and he moved away form the ground until he was next to Hassleberry.

"I don't believe this!" Aster exclaimed.

"Welcome to the club, soldier."

"Aw, shut up!" Aster snapped.

"I've got it!" Syrus ran towards Mokuren with his activated sword, but Mokuren swatted the sword out of Syrus' hands with another branch. "I haven't got it." Syrus sighed. Catalina teleported behind Syrus, grabbed his wrists and gripped them behind his back in one hand.

"Gotcha." She purred, raising her right hand. Her nails flashed purple and extended several centimetres until they were claws. She caressed Syrus' face with her clawed hand, and Syrus winced nervously. "It was noble of you to protect your little girlfriend, but she isn't worth protecting. She killed your father out of cold blood."

"What?!" Aster gasped, overhearing.

_Now's my chance._ Jesse thought. He created a lightning bolt in his right hand, and threw it at the branch holding Aster. It severed, and the tree branch immediately loosened it's grip on Aster, freeing him.

"Thanks." Aster said as he landed back on the ground.

"No problem."

_But still…_ Aster thought.

"_She killed your father out of cold blood."_

"Heads up!" Alister raised his sword, but just as he was about to cut Aster's arm, he stood up and caught it in his hand.

"You're not supposed to tell people when they attack." Aster said.

"I wasn't."

"Huh?" Alister snapped his fingers. Aster's body flashed red.

"Missed me." Aster smirked.

"Did I?"

"You did. Now I'm-" Aster's eyes widened.

_I…I can't move._ Aster's right hand shook as it refused to move. _He paralysed me._

"He's all yours, Mariko." Alister said.

"YAY! Thank you!" Mariko said cheerfully. Her right hand glowed blue. A blade extended out a glow on the back of her hand until it was longer than her arm, and the rest of the glowing covered her hand like a glove. "Time to die." She raised her blade at shoulder height and aimed it at Aster.

_I can't move…_

The blade stabbed Aster in his left shoulder. Aster winced. Mariko smiled wickedly. She dragged the blade across his shoulder before she pulled it out again.

"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

"Stop it!" Haru begged. He winced when Carmen tightened her grip on his head.

"Damn you're annoying." Carmen moaned.

"After all, you don't want to miss the show." Nevara hissed.

"Aster!" Jesse yelled. "Hold on, buddy!" Jesse's hand went to his whip.

_Ba-bump!_

"GAH!" Jesse gasped. He covered his mouth and coughed furiously.

"Jesse! Are you okay?" Selena asked frantically.

"What's wrong?" Melody panicked.

_Dammit! Not now. _Jesse thought. Alister raised an eyebrow.

"Jesse!" Syrus glared at Catalina's clawed hand. Immediately, he bit it.

"YEOW!" Catalina yelped, letting go of Syrus. She growled, and disappeared in purple light, appearing in front of Jesse.

"Oh my oh me. The poison is still working? That makes things easier." She took a step forward. Chloe, Melody, Selena and Aiko stepped in front of him.

"Stay away from my boyfriend." Selena said angrily, raising her wand. Aiko aimed an arrow on her bow, Melody pulled out her wooden flute and Chloe's right fist glowed green. Catalina raised her clawed hand. The claws were glowing purple.

"You're in my way!" She spat, swatting the girls away with one swipe. They collapsed on the ground a few metres away. "Oops. Guess I over did it." Melody sat up on one knee.

_That may have been a gentle shove to her, but it felt like someone punched me._ Melody thought, wiping the dirt off her face with her fist. _How did they get so strong?_

"Now…where were we?" Catalina wondered. Jesse looked up, wiping away the blood on his face.

"You'll pay for that." Jesse charged up an electricity ball in his right hand, but it failed when Jesse began coughing again.

"Really? Your illness doesn't say so." She noticed Jesse was standing on the edge of the chasm and smiled. "Bye bye, Jesse. It was nice knowing you. Oh yeah. And tell Mori I said hi." Catalina pushed Jesse off the edge of the cliff. Alister's eyes widened.

"Jesse!" Aster cried.

"Be quiet." Mariko slashed her sword down his left arm, making him cry out in pain.

_What will you do, Alister?_ Hiruko thought, noticing Alister's reaction.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!" Jesse yelled as he fell.

_Looks like this is it._ Jesse closed his eyes tightly. But, instead of falling down, he seemed to be going back up again. And something was carrying him in strong arms.

"Huh?" Jesse opened his eyes and looked up. A man with black hair, a black ninja outfit and a black scarf tied around his nose and mouth was carrying him and was heading back to the surface. The man landed on the edge of the cliff, where Catalina stared at him dumbfounded, and placed Jesse feet first back on the ground.

"Are you alright?" The man asked.

"Yeah." Jesse nodded. "Never better."

"What a weird guy." Alister said, scratching his head.

_It's not him._ Hiruko thought.

"Who are you?" Jesse asked his saviour.

"An ally. I'm Bandit."

"Nice to meetcha." Jesse said cheerfully. "But we're kinda being attacked right now, so we'll save time for introductions later."

_That voice. Where have I heard it before?_ Jesse thought.

"I'm afraid I must leave." Bandit bowed on one knee in front of Jesse. "I will always protect you, Jesse. My life is yours. Just call my name, and I will be there." Jesse blinked, confused.

"Er…thanks?" There was a puff of black smoke, and Bandit was nowhere to be seen.

"Phew." Haru sighed, relieved.

"Don't get relieved yet." Carmen said. "Two of your friends are still trapped with Mokuren." Three tree branches suddenly wrapped around Syrus, Meno and Hannah, and they, too, were lifted off the ground. "Make that five. And Aster is on the brink of death."

"Ha!" Mariko laughed, pulling her sword out of Aster's waist.

"I can't keep the paralysis up anymore, Mariko." Alister said. No sooner had he said this, Aster fell onto his knees, covered in sword wounds and scratches, his right hand clutching his shoulder and gasping for breath.

"Booooooring!" Mariko moaned. Her eyes widened as vines wrapped around her right arm. She turned her head, and saw Chloe standing beside her, smiling. "How dare you interfere!" Mariko yelled. She raised her left hand in the air. A column of earth launched Chloe into the air. "Another toy for you, Mokuren."

"EEK!" Chloe squealed as another tree branch grabbed her arm. Mokuren smiled.

"Don't you look yummy?" Mokuren said. He threw Chloe against his tree trunk, and she was absorbed into it in seconds.

"Chloe!" Meno cried. Mokuren tightened his grip around Meno.

"Shut up, ex-number five." Mokuren exclaimed. Mariko shook off the vines around her arm, and turned back to Aster.

"Now then, boy of the phoenix." Hiruko's eyes widened. "SO LONG!" Mariko raised her sword high into the air. However, before she could strike a killing blow, Hiruko ran in front of Aster and stood in a protective stance. "Brother?"

"That's enough, Mariko." Hiruko said firmly.

"Hiruko?" Aster said.

_Is he…protecting me?_ Aster thought, wiping away some blood from a cut on his left cheek.

"Nevara said that we needed him alive." Aster sighed.

_Then again…_

"Big brother you're so boring." Mariko moaned. "You and I used to have fun killing all the time."

"And didn't you hear what I said a couple days ago? I hate killing. And so did you. You've changed, Mariko. A lot. You're not my little sister anymore. You've been replaced by a monster. And you can't kill phoenix boy."

"Because he's valuable?" Mariko said hopefully.

"No! Because he's a good person who doesn't deserve to die." Aster's eyes widened. "Sure, he has amnesia about his past, and he doesn't know much about his roll as a phoenix warrior, but he's someone… someone I look up to." Mariko stared at Hiruko in silence.

"Are you done yet?" Mariko asked. "I have to kill phoenix boy. And since you're in the way, I'll kill you if I have to." Hiruko gasped. He turned away from his younger sister.

"I see…" Hiruko said quietly, choking back a sob. "Number one!" He yelled.

"What?" Nevara snapped, looking at Hiruko.

"I have to make an announcement."

"Huh?" Catalina, Mokuren, Alister, Armstrong and Carmen looked up.

"Now isn't the time, Hiruko." Nevara said.

"It is the time. Because now, I realise who Miranda really is. She is sadistic, psychopathic and a monster. She changed my sister into someone different. And I don't like it."

"And you're point is…" Nevara said, bored. Hiruko reached into his trouser pocket and pulled out a red oval shaped crystal attached to a chain. Hiruko looked at it. It flashed red, revealed the number seven and the number disappeared.

"Nevara…" Hiruko clenched the crystal in his hand. "I… I QUIT!" Hiruko threw the crystal at Nevara, who caught it effortlessly.

"What?!" Catalina and Carmen gasped. Alister shook his head.

"Very well." Nevara muttered. She threw the crystal in Hiruko's direction, but it sailed over his head and got hooked on one of Mokuren's branches. "Congratulations, Mokuren. You've just been promoted."

"About time. I was getting sick of being a soldier."

"Traitor!" Armstrong roared.

"Nyah!" Hiruko poked his tongue out at Armstrong. He growled and shot an arrow at Hiruko's feet, but he jumped up into the air. His right arm morphed into a blue diamond blade up to his elbow, and he sliced through the branches holding Hassleberry and Meno. Meno landed on one knee, but Hassleberry landed with a heavy thud.

"Ow!" Hassleberry groaned, sitting up.

"EEK!" Hannah squealed as her branch was cut by Hiruko. Hassleberry attempted to catch Hannah, but she landed on his head and he collapsed on the ground again. "Um…are you okay?" Hannah asked peering into Hassleberry's eyes.

"Hey, female phoenix…" Hassleberry groaned. "I didn't know you were a quintuplet." Hannah kicked Hassleberry across the face. "Ah, that's much better." Hiruko leapt of the tree branch he just severed, and cut Syrus' branch.

"Yikes!" Syrus yelped. He fell onto one knee on the ground.

"Syrus. Are you okay?" Meno asked, rushing to Syrus' side.

"Yeah."

"Is that everyone?" Hiruko yelled after he landed back on the ground.

"No! My sister is trapped inside him!" Melody shouted back.

"And Jaden! Don't forget Jaden!" Daisy yelled.

"I forgot about you. Pardon my bad manners." Catalina said, aiming a swipe at her face with her claws, which she ducked.

"Mind if I join?" Armstrong shot another arrow at Daisy's head, but she dodged it easily.

"Come back for more, eh?" Daisy teased. "Didn't you learn your lesson last time?" Daisy pulled out two silver wings from her bag, and they quickly transformed into white wings on her back. Daisy flew into the air and hovered above Catalina and Armstrong.

"Nice going, little flower. Don't you realise everyone can see your underpants?" Catalina teased.

"YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE LOOKED THEN!" Daisy yelled, throwing green knives at the two Juusenshi. They leapt out of the way easily, and the knives landed in the ground, creating cracks in the ground. Catalina teleported behind Daisy.

"Nice try. But using the same move twice won't work on us." Catalina hit Daisy behind her head, and Daisy fell back onto the ground, creating a small crater in the ground.

"Daisy!" Aster shouted. He attempted to run to her, but pain shot through his left leg as soon as he stood on it. He dropped onto one knee.

_Damn!_ Aster thought, frustrated.

"I'm coming, Chloe! Serenade!" A white sword appeared on Melody's flute, and she dashed towards Mokuren.

"Save some for me." Jesse activated his whip and cracked it towards the face of the giant tree.

"Too easy." Mokuren swatted away the whip effortlessly with a tree branch.

"AH!" Jesse Jumped out of the way when the whip crashed into the spot he was standing on, forcing Jesse to drop it. He skidded across the ground until he stopped. Catalina picked up the whip.

"Hmmm…" She said thoughtfully, admiring the handle. "Armstrong! Purple girl is all yours! I've got my eyes on Jesse." Catalina raised the whip handle above her head, and it cracked towards Jesse. Selena dashed in front of Jesse and whacked it away with her wand.

"Typhoon blast! Water!" A huge stream of water shot out of the top of her wand, drenching Catalina.

"Typhoon blast?" Melody said.

"Well, it sounded good at the time. And I liked it, okay?" Catalina dashed towards Selena.

"You'll pay for that!" Catalina's hand impaled Selena through her stomach. Selena's eyes widened, and they slowly became blank as a trickle of blood fell from the corner of her mouth. Catalina removed her hand from Selena, revealing a wound in her stomach. Selena fell onto the ground. Jesse stared at Selena, horrified.

"_So don't worry about me. I want to help. Okay?"_

"I'LL NEVER FORGIVE YOU!" Jesse screamed, aiming a punch at Catalina, but she disappeared. Jesse's eyes widened. Catalina appeared behind Jesse and hit him behind his neck. Jesse collapsed onto the ground, unconscious.

"How fitting. A couple lie defeated. It's a real heart breaker."

"Jesse!" Haru yelled.

"Keep quiet." Carmen moaned, tugging Haru's ponytail.

"Take this." Melody jumped into the air and raised her sword and was about to bring it down on Mokuren, but Mokuren blocked it with another sword. Syrus' sword was being held in a branch.

"Hey! Gimme my sword back!" Syrus snapped.

"No." Mokuren swatted Melody away, and she skidded across the ground, leaving a trail of dust in her wake.

"Save some for me." Hiruko leapt into the air and tried to bring his sword down onto Mokuren, but he made a branch clench and punch Hiruko across his face, forcing him onto the ground. A branch wrapped around Hiruko's ankle and lifted him off the ground.

"It's over…traitor." Mokuren let go of Hiruko's ankle, but before he could hit the ground, a dozen branches hit him in all possible areas.

_Damn…_Aster thought. He looked at his right arm. One of the cuts glowed orange, then sealed up like a zip, leaving no traces of blood around it and repairing the tear in his jacket. _There it is again._

"Don't turn away." Mariko raised her blade into the air. Aster's eyes widened. Quickly, he rolled out of the way just as her blade crashed into the ground.

"Looks like phoenix boy and his friends are going to be defeated." Nevara said.

"I wish I could have some of the action instead of Mokuren instead of guarding this pathetic excuse of a stone wielder." Carmen tugged on the hair on Haru's head.

"Why…are you doing this?" Haru asked. Carmen shrugged.

"Why not?"

_Damn. Everyone's getting themselves killed._

"Die!" Mokuren yelled. He made a branch whack Hiruko like a whip across his face, and another punched him from behind. "Alright, now I'm bored with you." Mokuren let Hiruko fall onto the ground, now unconscious.

_Hiruko and Jesse are unconscious. Selena's on the brink of death._

"Stop moving!" Mariko slammed her blade into the ground, and Aster somersaulted with one hand out of the way. When he landed, he looked at his right arm. It was completely healed.

"One down." He muttered. Mariko slammed her blade into the ground again, and Aster leapt out of the way, the sword just barely missing him.

_Aster's too injured to fight. Jaden and Chloe are trapped inside Mokuren._

Aiko aimed an arrow at Mokuren and fired. Alister teleported in front of the arrow and swatted it away with his sword.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that." Catalina teleported next to Alister.

"But we've got nothing better to do. So you can take us on." Catalina said happily.

"No problem." Daisy threw a handful of miniature bats at them, and in a puff of smoke, they became real. Alister sliced through them with his sword, and in another puff of smoke, the bats reverted back to their metal form and fell onto the ground.

"Pathetic." Catalina shook her head. She suddenly gasped. Catalina fell onto her knees, her back smoking. She turned around. Melody was pointing her flute at Catalina.

"Prelude." She said. Catalina narrowed her eyes.

"CAT KAMIKAZE!" She screamed. A purple whirlwind surrounded the group. Seconds later, Aiko, Daisy and Selena were covered in cat scratches.

"What…was that?" Melody said, clutching her arm.

"One of her most powerful attacks." Daisy answered.

_The girls aren't holding off well against those two either._

"AH!" Hannah gasped, pulling an arrow out from her shoulder. Armstrong walked up to her.

"Just go home, brat. You're not fit for combat."

"Don't call me a brat!" Hannah kicked Armstrong across his face, and he responded by kicking her on the waist.

_Hannah isn't doing very well against Armstrong. And then there's me. I'm not helping in any way because someone's got me by the hair. And it's for my own cause everyone is here. I'm so stupid._ Haru clenched his fists.

"Huh?" Haru raised his right hand and opened it. A few small stones were lying on his palm.

_Stones?_ His eyes widened. _Wait. Maybe I can help after all. If I can just…_Haru clenched his hand again, and when he opened it, a stone knife lay in his hand, complete with a handle. _Yes!_ Carmen saw the knife and smirked.

"That's not gonna work on me." Haru gripped the handle of the knife and gave a small smile.

"It's not for you." He said.

"Huh?" Carmen saw Haru's hand reach behind him. "What're you doing?" Suddenly, the knife sliced through his ponytail, forcing Carmen to let go. "What?!" She exclaimed. Catalina, Alister, Armstrong, Mariko and Mokuren all turned to look at Carmen.

"What's going on?" Hassleberry asked. The remnants of Haru's long hair fell until it was the tip of the ponytail reached the bottom of his ribcage.

"I've had enough." Haru said. He aimed a leg swipe at Carmen's legs as he stood up, forcing her off her feet, and just as quickly as he stood up, he kicked Carmen away from him with such force, when she hit a rock, it cracked upon impact.

"But…how?" Carmen choked. The remaining Juusenshi, not including Mokuren, moved away from their opponents and made their way to Haru.

"Haru?" Hassleberry said.

"Hannah! Meno!" Haru yelled.

"Yes?" Meno said.

"You two are the only ones who can heal. Take care of anyone who's injured."

"What about you?" Aiko asked.

"I can look after myself." The Juusenshi surrounded Haru, but Nevara backed away.

_This will be worth watching._ She thought. A stone pole rose from the ground. Haru grabbed it in his right hand, spun it around quickly and slammed the other end into his left hand.

"Feelin' lucky?" He asked.

**WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!! That was one HELL of a chapter! Betrayal, action and a little bit of comedy all in one chapter! Blimey! This one was THIRTY ONE pages! And that, dear readers, is a hell of a lot of typing! Anyway, sorry for the long wait, but stay tuned, 'cause Haru's gonna get a little bit of action, and he'll confront his sister. It's worth waiting for folks! So stay tuned!**


	17. Chapter 17: Confrontation

**Hmmm…what to write…um **_**(taps pencil on desk)**_** er... Do any of you guys ever run out of things to write in author's notes? 'Cause I do. Quite a lot. Aw hell with it, I'll just give you the chapter already, since I've already written something. AH! I've already ranted about running out of things to write on author's notes! Now I'll have to think of things to rant about too!**

Chapter 17

Confrontation

"Thank you for allowing me inside. I'm sure you were busy with something else." Officer Jones sat on the sofa in the living room of James' flat, removing his hat.

"It's no trouble. My son and his friends are out at the moment, so take as long as you want." James sat in an armchair near the sofa.

"Your son is Aster Phoenix, is it not?" James nodded. "He was almost killed yesterday. Doesn't that bother you?"

"Of course it does. But somehow, I know he won't die so easily." Officer Jones raised an eyebrow. "So let me guess: you're here about Meno."

"Yes. Where is she? I wish to talk to her."

"You can't. I sent her to go with Aster."

"Where are they?" Jones asked suspiciously.

"They're…" James glanced at the orange portal in the sky. "They're out of town." He lied.

"Are you sure?" James turned back to Jones. "Because several minutes ago, I heard the front door close."

"You are correct, officer. I told Meno to follow Aster after you came."

"Why?"

"I suspected you were here to take her hostage after the last attempt failed."

"Don't you know what you're doing?" Jones asked, his temper rising slightly. "She could make the death count rise if you let her out of the house."

"I know." James said calmly.

"That's why we need to take her to the Kishido Research Facility. It has high security, is on a remote island away from any form of civilisation and is home to many girls like Meno." James clenched the fabric on the arm of his chair.

"Isn't that where all the dangerous experiments are?"

"Yes."

_This is what Aster told me._ James thought.

"_They isolate us and kill us."_

"Meno is extremely unique. Of all the Kishido's we've researched throughout these thirteen years, she is the oldest. She may be the reason why we have so many Kishido infants. Mr Phoenix, I am asking you for the fate of mankind as we know it. Let us take Meno to the facility."

"_Face it, brat, just give up and I can take you back to where you belong."_

"I won't have it!" James snapped, standing up so forcefully, the armchair toppled over onto its back. "Killer or not, Meno is my daughter. I won't have scientists performing inhuman experiments on her!"

"Don't be a fool! Think about what you're doing, Mr Phoenix! You're endangering mankind because of your selfish attitude!"

"You're being selfish! Don't you have enough Kishido girls in your facility already?! Why do you need Meno? She's just like them!"

"MR PHOENIX!" Jones shouted. James stood backwards in surprise. "Meno is extremely valuable. She is the only one of the Kishido's who has a maternal power."

"Maternal?" James repeated.

"Did you know that Kishido's are incapable of reproducing? Neither of the Kishido's we have researched have the capabilities of producing offspring. They pass the Kishido gene on to regular humans, but instead of humans producing a Kishido, it slowly but gradually turns them into a Kishido. Luckily, our scientists have developed a vaccine for this, but the effects weaken from one generation to the next, and soon they'll need a vaccine. But that doesn't change the fact that Kishido's have this ability. However, after overlooking the data, there is one exception. And that is Meno."

"You want Meno because of her ability to reproduce?" James asked. "But don't you need a male Kishido? There's no such thing."

"She doesn't need one."

"What?"

"It's true. Even in ordinary humans, there is a small hint of a Kishido gene in everybody. Sometimes, it's so small that it is unlikely a human couple will bear a Kishido. Other times, however, the gene is so dominant that it's inevitable that they have a child who isn't normal. With Meno, even if she mates with a human who doesn't have a Kishido gene, a Kishido baby is guaranteed to be born. In a way, since she has this ability and is the oldest, Meno is the queen of the Kishido's." James turned away.

"I see."

"Now that you understand, will you please reconsider letting me take Meno to the facility?" James shook his head.

"No." He said firmly but calmly. "Meno is my daughter, and as long as I am her father, and as long as she is with my son or me, then you shall not take her."

"I understand." Jones stood up. "However, who's to say she won't lose control? If she does, I want you to do something." James narrowed his eyes.

"What do you want?" Jones was silent for a minute.

"Kill her." He said. James gasped. "I know you have a gun." Jones pulled a handgun from his back pocket and threw it to James, who caught it in his hands. "You left this on the roof, and it has your initials on it. Remember, Mr Phoenix, do not hesitate to use it on Meno." James fiddled with the gun.

"I…I couldn't. I could never kill her. She's my-"

"She isn't your biological daughter. Not even a madman would adopt her. Listen to me. If you hesitate to kill her, then Meno will be unstoppable, and mankind may face extinction."

"I can't!"

"I understand how you feel. But when the day comes, you'll have to decide. And I'm assuming you won't hand her over to us easily."

"No."

"I thought so. Regardless of your feelings, you'll have to kill her, whether you like it or not."

"I won't. She may not be related to me or my son, but I love her." Jones said nothing.

"Thank you for your time." Jones placed his hat back on his head. "I'll see myself out." He walked towards the front door, but stopped for a moment and looked over his shoulder at James. "Meno or humans. Your choice." Jones turned back around and left the flat. James stood in the living room, alone. He looked at the hand holding the gun. It was trembling.

"_Meno or humans. Your choice."_

"GRAH!" James threw the gun against the wall. He stared at it for several seconds as he calmed down.

"Don't worry, Meno." He said, turning his gaze back to the portal. "I will protect you."

…

"Jesse? Are you alright?" Meno asked frantically, kneeling beside Jesse and shaking him slightly to wake him up.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Jesse sat up.

"I'll heal you right away."

"No. Heal Selena and the other girls. They're more injured than I am. Especially Selena." Meno stared at Jesse, silenced.

"Okay." She turned to Selena, her right hand glowing pink, and gradually, the hole in her stomach sealed up.

"Are you okay?" Jesse asked. Selena blinked, and her blue eyes were full of life again. She glanced at Jesse.

"I just had the weirdest dream. There was this giant tree and lots of people with powers, and I was a fairy." Selena said, sitting up.

"But Selena… you're not dreaming." Selena smiled.

"Gotcha."

"Why you little vixen." Jesse teased.

"Stop flirting you two!" Hannah yelled, just as she had finished healing the scratches on Daisy. "Don't you know we're being attacked?"

"What about my sister? She's inside Mokuren."

"And he won't give my sword back." Syrus said huffily.

"Damn that bastard Mokuren." Hannah sat cross legged in the ground.

"Should a girl really be calling people bastards?" Jesse wondered.

"Do I care?" Hannah snapped back. "Aiko, I'll heal you next."

"But Jaden's trapped as well. He could be dead or dying." Melody remembered.

"Shut up shut up SHUT UP!" Hannah screamed, her hand glowing orange as Aiko sat beside her.

"We're all worried about Jaden and Chloe, but what about Haru?" Aiko asked.

"Nah, you're boyfriend will be fine."

"He's not my boyfriend, Hannah." Aiko blushed.

"That's not what you're face says."

"Hannah, leave her alone." Aster slumped onto the ground beside his cousin. "Just be glad we're alive."

"I'll heal you." Meno got onto one knee next to Aster.

"I'm fine Meno. Take care of Melody. She's still injured."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU'RE FINE?!" Hannah exclaimed, making Aster wince. "MARIKO ATTACKED YOU AFTER YOU WERE PARYLISED BY THAT GUY IN RED!"

"Um…Hannah?" Aster started.

"YOU MUST HAVE LOST A BUCKETFUL OF BLOOD! YOU COULD DIE, Y'KNOW!"

"Hannah…"

"DON'T YOU CARE IF YOU LIVE OR DIE?!"

"IF I COULD JUST GET A WORD IN EDGEWAYS!" Aster yelled, standing up.

"I'M NOT FINISHED YET!" Hannah stood up, glaring at Aster. "WHY ARE YOU ALWAYS SO STUBBORN?!"

"YOU'RE THE ONE WHO'S NOT LETTING ME SAY ANYTHING!"

"Are they related?" Selena asked Daisy.

"Unfortunately." Daisy sighed.

"If you would stop yelling and look at me, you'd see there's nothing left to heal!" Hannah opened her mouth to protest, but nothing came out. She closed it. Aster showed her his right arm. "See? There's nothing there."

"B…but…you were…and Mariko…" Hannah said feebly.

"I can't explain it either. All I know is that I'm alright now. Anyway, weren't you going to heal Aiko?"

"Oh, right!" Hannah went back to Aiko and healed the remainder of her scratches.

"I feel sorry for you, Aster. You have to have her as your cousin." Syrus said.

"Meh. She's not so bad." Aster shrugged.

"Done." Meno sighed. "Jesse. It's your turn."

"I said I'm fine. It was just an attack."

"Attack… attack… why does that sound familiar?" Syrus scratched his head.

"Yeah. I've kinda forgotten what's going on." Aster muttered "I mean…nothing's happened." Suddenly, Hassleberry punched him behind the head so hard, Aster's face slammed into the ground.

"Idiot!" Hassleberry yelled. "We're being attacked! The Juusenshi are attacking us!"

"That hurt." Aster sat up, rubbing his head.

"Didn't you hear a word I said?! We can't sit here as if nothing's happening! Two soldiers are trapped with tree man, ex-number seven is unconscious, and the worst part is, Haru is surrounded by the other Juusenshi!"

"Oh, yeah."

"What do you mean "oh, yeah"?! We've got to help him!"

"So why aren't you helping Haru now rather than argue with me?" Aster asked. Before Hassleberry could answer, Armstrong tumbled across the ground until he stopped next to Jesse. He stood up quickly.

"Why you little…" Armstrong ran back to where he came from.

"Looks like he doesn't need any help." Hannah said.

"Get him!" Catalina yelled. Haru jammed his rod into the ground, pole vaulted over the Juusenshi and landed on the ground. He glanced at Mokuren.

_I've got to get Chloe and Jaden out of there, or they'll die._ Haru thought. Alister teleported in front of Haru.

"I can't let you pass." Alister said calmly. Haru stood up.

"What if I do?" Alister pointed his sword at Hiruko.

"Then Hiruko dies."

"But he's too far away." Haru said, confused.

"It's not impossible for me. I will do it." Haru narrowed his eyes. He took a step forward. "Suit yourself. Sword of Fujin! Extend!" Alister's blade got longer and longer, and the tip was heading towards Hiruko.

"Urgh…what happened?" Hiruko moaned, sitting up.

"Hiruko! Look out!" Haru yelled.

"Huh?" Hiruko looked to his left, and saw the tip of Alister's blade getting closer towards him with every passing second. "Oh, fudge." Suddenly, Haru appeared behind him, grabbed his arm, and disappeared again, Hiruko going with him, just as the blade crashed into the ground. Alister raised an eyebrow.

"Return!" His sword returned to its original length. Haru appeared in a flash of white light beside Alister, carrying a confused Hiruko. "Teleportation? But only the Juusenshi know how to do it."

"I know. And you seem to have forgotten who my brother was. Juusenshi number nine: Sekio. He taught me how to teleport, though it is a little bit rusty, so I can only travel a few metres, unlike you Alister." Alister scratched his head.

"But Ember's number nine." Alister protested, confused.

"And you're a brainless number two." Haru muttered, sweat dropping.

"You can put me down now."

"Alister…" Catalina teleported beside Alister, and raised her clawed hand to shoulder height, the claws glowing purple. "Try this." She slashed the air, and small purple energy blades sped towards Haru, but he disappeared just as the blades passed through where he would've stood. "Huh?" Haru appeared behind a rock, out of sight from Alister and Catalina and set Hiruko on the ground.

"No offence, but you're heavier then you look."

"Well maybe you're just brittle!" Hiruko snapped. Haru rolled his eyes.

"Listen, Hiruko. I've got a favour to ask."

"Argh! We lost him!" Catalina scratched a rock, and the top of it sliced into three pieces.

"No. He's nearby. I can sense him." Alister said.

"You want me to what?!" Hiruko exclaimed.

"Shh. They'll find us."

"You're telling me that you'll distract the Juusenshi while I rescue Jaden and Chloe?!"

"That's the plan." Haru nodded.

"You call it a plan, but I call it suicide! They'll kill you! Look, I'll distract them, and you rescue those two."

"I can't." Hiruko became silent. "Use your head. If I went after Mokuren, I wouldn't be able to reach him because someone will always block my way, and Jaden and Chloe would be dead by the time I get there. However, if you went after them, you'd have a better chance. Don't you see?"

"…" Hiruko turned away.

"Do we have a plan?"

"Alright." Hiruko nodded. "But you owe me one, okay?"

"Come out come out wherever you are." Mariko taunted.

"CHARGE!" Hiruko shouted, running towards Mokuren.

"Brother, come back here." Suddenly, a pole was thrown in her direction. She ducked her head to the right, it flew past her head and jammed into the ground behind her.

"A pole of stone." She turned back around, and finally spotted Haru, clutching another pole in his hand.

"Hiruko isn't your concern, Juusenshi. I'm your opponent."

"Hmmm. This could be tricky with Carmen out of the battle. And Miss Nevara doesn't seem interested at all." Alister shrugged.

"What are you worried about? He's only a soldier. And a girly one too." Catalina said.

"FOR THE LAST TIME, I'M A BOY!"

"Get your hair cut!" Mariko yelled. She disappeared in blue light, and suddenly reappeared behind Haru, her right hand glowing blue. She aimed it at Haru's throat, but he blocked her hand with his pole. "Oh, right. You had to cut your hair to break free from Carmen. But then again, it's still long. Mind if I cut it shorter?"

"No thanks." Haru forced Mariko back, and jammed his pole into the ground. A stone spike rose behind Mariko, slicing her hair until it was only just past her shoulders. "How about I give you one free of charge?" Mariko stared at the blonde hair on the ground.

"You'll pay for that!" Her body glowed white, and her body became slightly taller. When the glowing stopped, Haru was staring at himself. "Let's see you try to attack me now." Her voice had changed to Haru's. Her right hand glowed blue, and a blue energy blade extended out of it, and she charged at Haru. Quickly, Haru jumped out of the way. His finger tips dragged across the ground as he skidded onto one knee. Mariko ran towards him again.

"Strike!" The dust Haru had made gathered together, and a stone hand in the form of a fist rose from the ground and punched Mariko across the face. "OW!" Haru's hand went to the side of his face. There was a small amount of blood on his hand when he removed it. "Oh, right. When Mariko gets hurt, so do I." Mariko's body glowed white again, and she went back to her original form, unconscious. "Two down, three to go." Haru rubbed the graze on the side of his face away with the back of his hand.

"I'm next!" Armstrong pulled a metal sword out from behind him and slashed at Haru across his face with such force, he was knocked backwards. Haru planted his hands on the ground, and skidded in a half circle until he faced Armstrong.

"Damn. I missed." A cut appeared on Haru's left cheek. Haru grabbed the dirt beneath his hand. It grew longer, and extended into yet another stone pole. "You're using that again? You really have no originality." The metal sword glowed white, and there was a long whip on the hilt with a steel grey yo-yo on the end of the string.

_It changed?_ Haru thought. Armstrong spun the yo-yo above his head.

"Surprised? Well you should be, because that's the key to battle. Surprise your opponent…then attack." Armstrong threw the yo-yo towards Haru, who jumped out of the way as it crashed into the ground.

_That was close…_ Armstrong teleported behind Haru.

"Over here!" The yo-yo hit Haru on his back before he even had a chance to turn around, and he slammed into the ground, creating a dust cloud. Armstrong landed feet first on the ground. He walked towards the dust cloud, spinning the yo-yo on the hilt of his whip and creating sparks.

"Stupid. You should always look behind you." The dust cloud cleared. Armstrong's eyes widened. A pole was sticking out of the ground in a crater.

"You're right." A hand grabbed Armstrong's shoulder, and another held a sharp slate knife in their hand against Armstrong's throat. Haru was standing right behind him, completely unharmed. "Always look behind you."

"How the heck did he do that?" Alister exclaimed, amazed.

"It's not that big a deal." Catalina sighed. "You even made a diversion like that once."

"Hmmm…not bad for a soldier."

"I am no longer a follower of Miranda, so please don't refer to me that way."

"Why don't you kill me now? You chicken?" Armstrong demanded. Haru said nothing. Armstrong grinned. "Or are you afraid of passing out again? I'm right aren't I?"

"…" Was Haru's reaction.

"What caused that condition? If I remember correctly, Nevara said she killed your mommy and daddy in front of you and your brother."

"That's none of your business!" Haru snapped, his hand holding the blade trembling. Armstrong grabbed it.

"What's this? You're shaking? That means I'm right if you're angry. And in that case…" Armstrong threw Haru over his shoulder and onto the ground in front of him. Still holding onto Haru's wrist, Armstrong placed a foot on his head. "I don't have to hold back." Armstrong felt a tap on the shoulder.

"Excuse me?"

"Eh?" Armstrong turned around.

WHAM!

Armstrong stumbled from the sudden attack. "What the…who're you?!"

"Tyranno Hassleberry. And if you mess with Haru, you mess with me."

"Er…I appreciate your help, but I had everything under control."

"No you didn't."

"Whatever. Just…go and help Hiruko."

"R…right. Help him. What do I do?"

"Get Jaden out of that tree! Jeez!"

"I don't need any help!" Hiruko sliced a large tree branch off Mokuren using his diamond blade. Chloe's face emerged from the stub of what was left of the branch. Her eyes blinked open.

"Oh… where am I?"

"See?" Hiruko boasted.

"You can't have her, traitor." Mokuren attempted to stab Hiruko with another branch, but he dodged it and stabbed Mokuren in the middle of his wooden face. Silence. Suddenly, there was a burst of white light.

"Whoa!" Hassleberry shielded his eyes.

"Is Jaden okay?" Haru asked. The light cleared away, and Hiruko landed on the ground, his arm wrapped around Chloe's shoulder, who was staring up at her saviour.

"Chloe!" Melody ran towards Hiruko.

"Sister!" Chloe shrugged off Hiruko's hand and let Melody hug her, and she returned it.

"I was so worried about you. I really thought you were going to die."

"Your welcome?" Hiruko hinted. "Huh? Where's Mokuren?" Hiruko looked left and right, but Mokuren was gone.

"Where'd he go?" Hassleberry scratched his head.

"I've got a bad feeling about this." Haru said, uneasy.

"Dance…" Hiruko's eyes widened.

"Get out the way!"

"Plant sprite dance." A large purple flower the size of a house with four petals burst out of the ground, along with many strings of vines, wriggling and slapping the ground like snakes. Mokuren stood on top of the flower, an unconscious Jaden over his shoulder.

"Private!"

"Give him back, Mokuren!" Hiruko demanded. Armstrong used this opportunity to sneak away from the three boys.

"What if I don't wanna?" A group of vines rose off the ground, and they grew thorns all the way up their bodies. "Do you really think you can stop me?" Mokuren waved a hand towards Hassleberry, Haru and Hiruko, and the thorn-covered vines followed the path. Hassleberry ran out the way, but Haru and Hiruko disappeared. "What?"

"Hiruko, now!" Hiruko punched Mokuren hard across the face, surprising him, and Jaden fell off his shoulder. Haru teleported in front of Jaden, caught him, and disappeared again.

"Gah! You bastard!" Haru landed on the ground, Jaden under his arm. He stood up, his back to Mokuren. "I'm talking to you!"

"You just don't give up do you?" Haru turned around. "It's already over."

"What?!"

"Look behind you." Mokuren turned to look. His eyes widened. Hiruko had jammed the blade of an arm on the back of the flower head. He looked up and smirked.

"Boom." Hiruko whispered. The flower burst in a cloud of purple smoke. Hiruko ran out of it, covering his mouth. "Whoa that was close! One whiff of that and I'm dead!" Hiruko exclaimed, running to Haru's side. Hiruko's arm morphed back to normal.

"Will Mokuren die?" Hassleberry asked.

"Nah. He's part plant. He's immune to it. As far as I know, he'll just be zonked out for a while." When the smoke cleared, Mokuren was lying on the ground, unconscious. "See?"

"I'd better give Jaden to the others." Haru disappeared in a flash of white light, and reappeared beside Aster.

"WHA!" Aster staggered back. "How'd you do that?!" Aster noticed Jaden under Haru's arm. "Jaden! Is he okay?"

"Jaden!" Jesse yelled.

_Were we too late?_ Haru thought. Suddenly, there was a loud snore.

"Huh?" Jesse blinked. Haru glanced at Jaden. There was a goofy smile on his face.

"Hamburgers." Jaden muttered sleepily, his mouth drooling.

"WHAAAA?!" Jesse and Aster's jaws dropped, and Haru threw Jaden on the ground, his eyebrow twitching angrily.

"You moron!" Aster kicked Jaden across his face. "We were worried about you, but you were just asleep?!"

"Huh? What? What's going on?" Jaden sat up.

"Didn't you hear me?!"

"This is the thanks I get?" Haru muttered.

"Jaden!"

"Hannah?" Jaden's face lit up, but Hannah kicked him on the head, knocking him on the ground.

"Meanie! Jerk! Bastard! Moron! Stupid! Idiot!" Hannah kicked Jaden with every insult, with Jaden responding with "Ow!" each time. Haru, Aster, Jesse and Daisy stared at them as Hannah beat Jaden up, calling him any insult she could think of.

"Now this isn't normal." Daisy said.

"Um…Hannah. You're gonna kill him." Aster said, worried.

"Let's just say this is her unique way of saying "I'm glad you're okay."" Jesse decided. Hannah had stopped kicking Jaden, and was now shaking him by his jacket collar.

"I thought you were gonna die! I thought you were gonna die!" She yelled.

"I still might if you keep this up." Jaden said. Hannah stopped shaking Jaden and stared into his eyes, her own shining with anger.

"You were trapped inside that tree and you couldn't get out! Then Mokuren summoned up a flower and I got scared when you were on his back because I thought you were dead!" Hannah clenched his jacket collar even tightly, her eyes filling up. "Do you even know how worried and scared I was for you?" She asked, trying extremely hard not to cry. "Stupid!"

"…" Jaden was speechless. He smiled softly and patted Hannah on the head. "Sorry, Hannah. I must've worried you."

"HA!" Armstrong pulled a crossbow and fired an arrow right at Jaden's head. Hiruko teleported in front of Jaden and caught the arrow in his hand, just as it was inches from his head.

"Huh?" Jaden looked up at Hiruko. "AH!" Jaden scrambled across the ground away from Hiruko, forgetting that Hannah was still clinging to him and forcing her to let go. "It's the shape shifter!" Hiruko looked over his shoulder at Jaden.

"Geez, is a thank you too much trouble?"

"How long was I out, Jesse?"

"A while."

"Long story short: Hiruko left the Juusenshi." Daisy said quickly.

"That's all?"

"That's all."

"Huh. So they rescued Jaden after all. This is getting interesting." Alister said thoughtfully.

"Ah, who cares? Let's just kill 'em!" Catalina exclaimed.

"You won't be killing anyone." Aster stepped forward, his hand on the stopper of his water skin.

"Wait." Haru held a stone pole in front of Aster, stopping him.

"Haru?"

"They're mine."

"Are you crazy?! You don't-"

"Stand a chance?" Haru finished. "But take this in mind. Juusenshi numbers four, six and the new number seven are down. That leaves these three. After taking out those ones, you really think I can't do this?"

"I…" Aster started. "…"

"Now that you understand, let me go." Haru walked towards the final three Juusenshi.

"Haru!" Aiko got up and ran towards him, but Aster raised an arm to stop her. "Aster, let me through!"

"Sorry, but he's got to finish this on his own."

"Oh my. You must really want to die, don't you?" Catalina said playfully.

"Now now, kitten." Alister warned.

"Let's kill him already!" Armstrong shouted impatiently, firing another arrow from his metal crossbow. However, Haru swatted it away with his pole. "What?"

"You need to follow your own advice. You need more originality. If you use the same attack over and over again, you'll lose in an instant." Haru said calmly.

"SHUT UP!" Armstrong fired another arrow at Haru, but he teleported out of the way. He reappeared behind Armstrong, jammed a pole in the ground, and disappeared again. A stone wall rose around Armstrong, encasing him up to his shoulders. He struggled to get free, but he couldn't.

"That only proves my point. You're a disgrace to the Juusenshi."

"EH?!" Daisy exclaimed. "It took me ages to defeat him!"

"Looks like it's just us left, stone wielder." Catalina grinned. Haru said nothing.

"One rod." Haru raised a single finger in the air.

"Huh?" Alister raised an eyebrow.

"One rod." Haru repeated. A stone pole rose from the ground, and Haru grabbed it. He showed it to Alister and Catalina. "This single pole will be all it takes to defeat you."

"Oh. Getting cocky, are we?" Catalina smirked. She disappeared in a flash of purple light, and teleported behind Haru, but before she could even attack, Haru jumped backwards, landed on his hands, and somersaulted onto his feet, putting a distance of at least three metres between them.

"Here will do." Haru slammed his pole into the ground. Nothing happened.

"Well, that was a waste." Catalina taunted.

"Was it?" Haru asked. "If that's what you think, then you aren't as intelligent as I said you were."

"WOW! You actually think I'm smart?! W-well I am quite the smarty pants, I must admit, but nobody ever complimented me on that! Thank you thank you thank you!" Catalina gabbled, her eyes shining happily.

"Er…no. That isn't what I meant." Haru sweat dropped. "Anyway, just look around." Catalina stopped gabbling and looked around the area.

"Well, I've looked around, and I don't see anything except your ro-" Catalina's eyes widened. "Hold on. You don't think you're going to…"

"Oh… figured it out have we? Including this one, there are six rods in the ground. If you take another look, they're surrounding us, and by the look on your face, I'm guessing you know what's going to come next. I could set them off at any time, and you'll all be defeated." Haru gave a small smile, disappeared in a flash of white light, and reappeared sitting on the rock where Carmen lay.

"Why are you over there?" Alister said.

"Yeah… there is a slight problem with this technique. I don't have full control over it, and considering the fact that this is the first time I've used it in battle, I had better get out of the way, or I'll get killed as well." The dust rose around Alister's and Catalina's ankles, and they were encased in stone.

"What's this?" Alister asked.

"You bastard! You tricked us!" Catalina yelled. Armstrong broke out of the stone wall and ran towards Catalina and Alister. As soon as he was near them, dust rose around his ankles as well, and he was trapped too.

"What do you know? It's already started." Haru said, grinning.

"Son of a…" Catalina "Let us go!"

"Make it stop!" Armstrong demanded. Haru jumped off the rock and grabbed the pole nearest to him.

"Remember this. I'm usually merciless against opponents like you, but this time…" The pole, along with the other five, glowed white. "Be thankful I'm keeping you alive." A stone wall burst out between the poles, connecting them until they made a circle around the three Juusenshi. Haru backed away as a stone dome rose from the wall, encasing the three of them in a giant domed building. On the roof of the dome, spiked littered the top like a hedgehog. Without warning, the spikes disappeared into the miniature building.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

"Whoa!" Was all Aster could say, as he and the gang stared at Haru.

"I had no idea he was this strong." Aiko whispered. The dome began to crack, and soon it disappeared into rubble. Armstrong had collapsed on the ground, Catalina was still conscious, but was covered in blood, and Alister was calmly staring at the scratches on his arms.

_Interesting… _Nevara thought. _He took out the top Juusenshi all by himself. But, that doesn't change the fact that he is a worthless soldier._

"Hey guys!" Haru yelled.

"Yeah!" Aster yelled back.

"Clean up on isle five!" Haru indicated the defeated Juusenshi. "They're all yours."

"WOO HOO!" Hannah cheered.

"I was getting bored of watching." Jesse exclaimed.

"STOP!"

The gang fell silent. Nevara had teleported beside Alister.

"Miss Nevara." Alister got down one knee, wincing slightly from the pain.

"Take the others home, then return here immediately."

"Yes, ma'am." Alister and the rest of the Juusenshi disappeared in a flash of red light.

"Aw!" Hannah whined.

"Chloe! Are you okay?" Hiruko asked. Melody activated her Serenade sword and pointed it at his throat.

"Sister…" Chloe started. "It's okay. I trust him."

"But…"

"Please." Chloe pleaded. Melody hesitated, but she eventually lowered her sword, and let Chloe go to Hiruko.

"I'm fine." Chloe answered. "Um… thank you for saving me."

"Heh… it was no biggie." Hiruko grinned. Chloe's hand reached out and held Hiruko's

"…" Hiruko stared at Chloe's hand in his own, surprised.

"We're sorry if we ever hurt you and your sister." Chloe apologised "But I promise that we'll help you." She smiled. "Okay?" Hiruko blushed.

"Hey, Selena. Looks like we've got a new romance developing." Daisy nudged Selena playfully.

"They do look about the same age." Selena said.

"Er… that wasn't the answer I was expecting, but heck, I'll go with it."

"I don't get it." Aster said. "Why did she tell them to retreat?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Hiruko asked, overhearing. "Nevara's gonna get violent."

"What?" Jesse gasped.

"It's true." Hiruko continued. "When Nevara breaks loose, you don't even want to be within ten square miles. If you happen to be nearby when she goes all out…well…she might just kill you by accident."

"She's that strong?" Selena asked. Hiruko nodded.

"That is why she is the number one Juusenshi."

"Wow. I'd sure hate to get on the wrong side of her." Jaden muttered. Hannah elbowed him. "OW!"

"Idiot. We already are."

"Oh, right."

Nevara moved her cold stare to Haru. "Why did you come here?" She asked.

"We need to talk." Haru answered. Nevara said nothing.

"Meet me where Mori was defeated." She eventually said. She disappeared in a flash of light.

Five minutes later

"Well…we're here. Now what do we do?" Jaden asked.

"To be honest, Jay, I really have no idea." Aster answered.

"I guess we just wait until "she" shows up." Hiruko shrugged. Chloe clenched the edge of her dress tightly.

"Why do I feel so afraid?" She whispered. Hiruko fidgeted nervously, until he reached out and held her hand.

"It's okay." But, Hiruko felt his own arm shaking. He felt someone ruffle his messy blonde hair. Hiruko looked over his shoulder. Jaden had a hand on Hiruko's head, grinning.

"It'll be fine. Nothing bad is gonna happen."

"She's here." Haru said. Nevara teleported onto the circular platform in the middle of the chasm, and stared up at Haru. Haru jumped off the edge of the cliff, and landed on the platform. He stood up and faced Nevara.

_I'm here to get some answers, no matter what it takes. Even if it means dying…or killing you._ Haru thought.

_Be careful soldier. _Hassleberry thought nervously.

"Selena…" Jesse started quietly. "You'd better stay close to me. Things might get a little violent." Selena nodded and clung to his arm. Alister teleported on the edge of the chasm.

"Miss Nevara, there you are!" Alister yelled, staring down at her. Nevara looked up.

"Alister, no matter what happens, do not interfere. Do you hear me?"

"Loud and clear." Nevara walked towards the centre of the platform. Haru did the same. They only stopped until they were a few metres away form each other. Haru looked up at his sister.

"Wasn't I great?" Haru started. "I didn't really think I'd be able to take on the Juusenshi by myself. A part of me kept screaming "Are you crazy?!", but I ignored it, and helped my friends. The me long ago would've run away, and yet… and yet I fought them…and defeated them. Back then, I would never have dreamed I'd become this strong. Dad thought I was a hopeless case, and thought I wasn't worth his time and effort, but you, sis… you never thought that. You helped me. You taught me how to use rods to channel my powers, and I become that little bit stronger, even though you weren't a stone wielder."

"…" The entire gang, even Alister, was speechless.

"But…I had no idea." Haru continued. "I had no idea what you were really thinking. Despite that, I knew that, behind your smile, you were hurting. You knew you had to leave us, but you never spoke a word. I was just a kid back then, so I didn't get it… now that I think about it, I still am a kid, and I still don't get it." Haru looked down, his eyes shining sadly. "But…you can tell me now, right?"

"_And her desire is to kill you herself, just like she killed your parents."_

"_Always know that I love you, Haru… little brother."_

"_I ordered you to kill Haru."_

_"Now, all the stone wielders are wiped out. Every man, woman and child that controlled stone are dead. There's not a single one left. Well, there is one. You."_

_"Nevara…you've changed."_

"This…is all a lie, right?"

"…" Nevara said nothing.

"The Nevara I knew was kind and gentle!" Haru yelled. "I refuse to believe that you're my real sister! She would never kill her own parents and leave her younger brother the last stone wielder in existence!" Haru quietened down. "But that's what you did. Do you have any idea how it hurts me knowing that you're the enemy we have to fight? Have you ever had even an ounce of regret?" Nevara remained calm. Haru's hand reached down his shirt. "You remember this, right?" Haru pulled out the object. It was a diamond dagger the size of a thumb, with string wrapped around the top. A hole was drilled through it, and another piece of string was threaded through it, and was worn around Haru neck.

"What's that?" Jaden asked.

"I dunno." Daisy shielded her eyes. "It's too small to see."

_It's a dagger…_ Alister thought. _Why does he have it?_

"Remember that time I got lost?" Haru asked. "I was bored, so you played with me. Then I fell into a trap."

_Flashback_

"_Hey, Nevara. Wanna play hide and seek?" Eleven years old Haru asked, peering around a tree trunk, smiling cheerfully. Nevara looked up from her reading book._

"_Huh?" She shielded her eyes from the sunlight. "Why can't you ask Sekio?"_

"_AW!__ But he's with dad, and mom doesn't wanna play either." Nevara smiled._

"_Alrighty. How about hide and seek?__"_

"_YAY!__" Haru cheered. "Thanks, big sis."_

"_Okay, I__'m it." Nevara turned her back to Haru and leaned on the tree, her face on her arms, which were folded on the tree. "One…two…three…" She counted slowly. Haru ran off, laughing._

"_Don__'t forget to count to a hundred!"_

_A few minutes later_

"_Ninety seven__…ninety eight…ninety nine… one hundred!" Nevara pushed herself away from the tree. "Ready or not, here I come!" Nevara looked in all the places she could think of, including a hollow part of a tree trunk, behind their garden shed, in the bushes, even behind their father's lawnmower._

"_Hmmm. Where'd he go?" Nevara scratched her head. She looked behind her at the forest. "Haru you idiot." She ran inside the forest, and stopped when she was in front of a giant oak tree. She looked around her. No sign of life._

"_Ready or not! Here I come!" She called out. She cupped her hand around her ear. All she heard was the sound of her own voice echoing through the forest. "Uh… Sekio's got your teddy bear!" No response._

_Damn… he really is lost. Nevara thought._

"_AH!"_

"_Haru!" Nevara gasped, and ran to where the voice came from. She parted two bushes out of the way, and saw Haru sat on the ground, clutching his right arm._

"_Uh…looks like you found me."_

"_What happened?" Nevara kneeled down beside Haru._

"_I don't know. I was finding a place to hide, then I tripped over something and now my arm hurts." Nevara looked at the ground. There was a broken tripwire on the ground._

_Haru triggered a trap. Nevara thought._

"_Let me see your arm." Haru removed his hand. A small diamond dagger was stocking out of his arm. "Oh dear. This looks pretty deep."_

"_Does this mean it will be stuck in my arm forever?" Nevara laughed._

"_Of course not, stupid. Let's see. Hmmm…does it hurt if I do this?" Nevara nudged the dagger._

"_OW!"_

"_Okay. I'm going to try and get it out, Haru, but it will hurt."_

"_Alright." Haru nodded._

"_Just keep still and try not to fidget." Nevara held the dagger gently and twisted it a little._

"_OW!" Haru's eyes began to water. "That hurt."_

"_Sorry." Nevara placed her right hand on Haru's arm, tightened her grip on the dagger, and pulled it out of Haru's arm._

"_AH!" Haru cried out, his hand going back to the wound._

"_There." Nevara sighed, examining the dagger. Haru sniffed and began to cry. "Aw, Haru." Nevara hugged Haru, being careful of his arm. "I didn't mean to hurt you. Honest. I'm sorry. Okay." Nevara felt Haru nod. He pulled away and wiped his eyes with his good arm._

"_What's that?" Haru pointed at the dagger._

"_This is the thing in your arm."_

"_Is it…a diamond?"_

"_It certainly looks like it. Anyway…" Nevara tore a strip of fabric from her split dress._

"_Nevara! Mom's gonna kill you."_

"_Haru, I think mom's got bigger things to worry about other than torn dresses. Besides, I've got plenty of others back home." Nevara swiftly wrapped the fabric around Haru's arm, and tied the knot to keep it there, turning it into a bandage. "There you go."_

"_Nevara…" Haru began._

"_Yes?" Haru took the dagger from Nevara's hand._

"_Can I keep this?"_

"_I don't see why not. Oh, even better…" Nevara undid a small plait in her blue hair, and pulled the string from her hair. She threaded it through the hole drilled through it, and tied it around Haru's neck. "You can carry it with you wherever you go."_

"_Wow! Thanks, Nevara! I'm never gonna take it off!"_

"_Great! Just… make sure mom and dad don't see it." She leaned closer towards Haru. "It's our little secret." She whispered._

"_My lips are sealed." Haru made a zipping motion across his mouth, pretended to throw the zip over his shoulder and shrugged his shoulders. Nevara laughed and ruffled his hair._

"Tell me… are you really Nevara?" Haru asked.

"…" Nevara still said nothing.

"Answer me!" Haru shouted. "Is this a cover up, or have you really changed into something else? I can't believe that! You're just hiding the sister I grew up with. The real Nevara!" There was a long silence.

"Haru…" Nevara started. Haru looked up.

THWAK!

"?!" The entire gang was horrified. Nevara had punched Haru across his face with the back of her left fist with such force, Haru skidded across the ground until he was several more metres away from her. Nevara began to walk towards him.

"Was that what you wanted to talk about? I thought it was going to be interesting, but I was obviously wrong." She narrowed her eyes. "You waste my time." Haru sat up slightly, his back to Nevara, rubbing the spot where Nevara had hit him. He cried out when Nevara grabbed a fistful of the hair on top of his head and forced him to sit up properly and face her.

"Haru!" Hassleberry cried. Aster growled, his fists clenching.

"You asked me before if I ever had any regrets, didn't you? Well, here's my answer. I don't regret killing the stone wielders with my own hands. I don't regret joining the Juusenshi. And I certainly don't regret killing our parents." She glared into Haru's terrified brown eyes. "What I do regret, however, is not killing you myself. You're pathetic, just like you always said." Nevara's eyes widened slightly. Haru's eyes weren't as terrified as before, but there was a different tone to them. Almost…pleading. Nevara growled

"STOP GIVING ME THAT LOOK!" She roared, losing her calm demeanour, and she threw Haru into the ground.

"I've seen enough!" Aster yelled, jumping off the edge of the cliff. When he landed, he ran in front of Haru into a protective stance.

"You." Nevara said.

"Leave Haru alone." Aster said fiercely. Nevara barely blinked.

"This has nothing to do with you." She said calmly.

"It's got everything to do with me!" Aster snapped. "You…Haru looked up to you. Even though he thought he'd never see you again, he still wanted to find you when he got older. This isn't what he wanted. Haru didn't want to find a sister who wants him dead. No one does!"

"He understands." Meno said quietly.

"Huh?" Daisy turned to Meno.

"What do you mean?" Selena asked.

"He understands. He knows what it's like to have someone in your family disappear without a trace. He knows the pain of discovering who they are now. Aster can place himself in Haru's shoes. That's why he's down there right now. He knows what it's like being alone, so when he saw Haru getting hurt, he moved to protect him instinctively." Meno explained.

"Aster…" Haru started.

"You okay?" Aster asked without turning around.

"I've been better."

"Good. Because you'd better get out of the way. Unless you wanna get hurt."

"Heh." Nevara smirked. She turned around and began to walk away.

"Hey! Where are you going?!" Aster demanded.

"Go back home, phoenix warrior." Nevara said without turning around. Aster narrowed his eyes angrily. He kicked the ground, forcing a stone to jump a few feet in the air. Aster grabbed it and hurled it at the back of Nevara's head.

"AH!" She gasped. Nevara stopped walking as the stone fell on the ground. She turned around to face Aster. Aster looked at her, slightly calmer than before, and prepared to attack. Nevara narrowed her eyes a little and shot him an icy glare, but Aster remained where he was.

"I'm not gonna let you walk away that easily." Aster said firmly. "If you insist on hurting Haru, then you'll have to get through me first."

**IMSORRYI'MSORRYI'MSORRY!!! Blame the sixth form! Man, you have NO IDEA how much work I've had to do! Plus, there was all the sixth form meetings, house music, and on top of all that, my birthday's on the tenth of December, which is VERY soon, so I've had to plan a party, since it's my seventeenth and all. ANYWAYS, I will try my very best to update even faster, cos this one took MONTHS! And believe me, you don't wanna miss it, cos Aster's gonna fight the number one Juusenshi, and the truth about the phoenix fire will finally be revealed. Until next time, folks!**


	18. Chapter 18: Ice vs Water

**Alright, here's the next chapter. Read, review, favourite if you haven't already, alert, and enjoy! It's been two months since I've updated, so it's a lot shorter time period than last time. But once again, you can blame the sixth form for the long time it took me to update, but hey! It's better than not updating at all! Am I right? Well, er, enjoy chapter 18!**

Chapter 18

Ice vs. Water

"Hmmm... phoenix boy is one crazy bastard." Alister muttered to himself. "Nobody's ever been able to defeat Miss Nevara."

"Moron." Hiruko hissed. In the arena, Nevara placed her hand on the back of her head where Aster had thrown the rock. She looked at the fingertips, and her eyes widened slightly. She looked at Aster.

"I'm surprised, phoenix boy. And it takes a lot to do that." She showed him her fingertips. They were covered with blood. "You made me bleed. That's something nobody has ever done before."

"Wow, I'll take that as a compliment." Aster closed his eyes and smiled. "I guess this means I'm gonna win then, huh?"

"You honestly believe you can fight on equal levels with the number one Juusenshi? Such arrogance."

"Oh, I'm not too fond of the word "arrogance"." Aster said, wincing slightly. "I prefer to call it...cockiness."

"Call it whatever you want, it won't make any difference if I'm just going to kill you."

"Are you sure about that?" Aster asked, preparing himself for an attack. Nevara raised an arm up to her chest.

"Yes."

"Better move back, Haru...unless you want to get dragged into this." Aster warned Haru, who had just stood up.

"Don't be stupid, Haru." Nevara snarled. "If you value your life, you'd take the rest of the traitors and your weak friends back to where you came from...because in ten minutes, there's going to be nothing left here." Nevara disappeared in a flash of blue light.

_Where'd she go?_ Aster thought. Nevara appeared behind Aster, her hand glowing blue. Suddenly, large icicles burst out of the ground around Aster, just as Nevara landed back on the ground.

"I missed." She muttered. Sure enough, Aster jumped up into the air, without a single mark on his body. He grabbed the top of one of the giant icicles, and it melted on contact into a stream of water that floated around his arm until it froze again into his sword.

"The water sword. That's one of your signature moves in your fights." Nevara noted.

"What's it to you?" Aster disappeared completely, but Nevara remained unsurprised.

"I see that you've mastered invisibility…" Nevara said. Aster became visible behind Nevara and charged noiselessly towards her. "However…" She continued. Nevara raised her right arm behind her, pointing directly at Aster. "That move is too predictable." Aster's eyes widened. A long line of icicles burst out of the ground towards Aster, and he jumped into the air to avoid them. Nevara teleported behind Aster without him noticing.

"Too slow." Aster turned around to face Nevara, but was met with a punch across his face that sent him crashing into the ground. Nevara landed gracefully back onto the ground beside Aster.

"You've become stronger. But your defeat was inevitable the moment you challenged me." Aster stood up, covered with dirt.

"Heh. I may be down, but I'm not out yet." Aster smirked.

"I don't intend to kill you, phoenix boy. I'm only here to kill the stone wielders, and Haru is the last one left, but you prevent me from accomplishing that mission, and all threats must be eliminated. So, will you surrender before I accidentally kill you?" Aster shook his head.

"Sorry. I'd rather die than let you hurt my friends." Nevara narrowed her eyes.

"Look at you. You're all talk. You said that you'd defeat me, but you have yet to land even one scratch on me after that rock you threw." Suddenly, Aster slashed Nevara across her right arm. She looked at the scratch on the top of her arm, now bleeding, surprised.

"I'm so sorry for being impolite, but you left yourself so wide open, I just couldn't resist." Aster smiled. "Now… what was that you were saying? Something about me not landing a scratch on you?" Nevara growled.

"Arrogant brat!" She yelled, kicking Aster in the stomach. The force of the kick was enough to knock Aster into the wall of the chasm, and creating a crater that immobilised Aster into the wall. "Keh. That wasn't even good enough to be a warm up exercise." She shifted her stare to Haru. "Now then, little brother. Where were we?" Haru flinched and stepped back when Nevara took a step forward. "Phoenix boy is dead now, but I'll keep that a secret from Miss Miranda, or else-"

"Miss Miranda will be terribly angry!" A voice sang loudly. Nevara grimaced. She turned sharply to Alister.

"Who asked you, Alister?!" She shouted. Alister raised his hands to head height and shook his head innocently.

"Hey, hey, it wasn't me." Alister protested, smiling slightly.

"What?" She spun around, and Aster stood several metres away from her, alive and without a single speck of dirk covering him, beaming at her and waving.

"Hi!" Aster yelled.

"Why you..." Nevara shot a wave of ice at Aster, but he disappeared straight away. Nevara's eyes widened.

_Teleportation?_ Suddenly, two swords were placed inches from her throat. She turned around. Aster was standing directly behind her, holding an ice sword in both hands.

"How did you learn teleportation?" Nevara asked.

"So glad you asked. I watched the other Juusenshi and Haru do it, and I just copied it."

"Hmph. No wonder you're a boy genius in you world. But tell me... how long have you had an imposter fighting me?"

"Since the very start." Nevara's eyes widened.

"You mean..." She remembered the first attack she made, which Aster had dodged. She calmed herself down and smiled. "I see. You're skills certainly have improved." She glanced at the Aster in the wall of the chasm, which was now damp with water and the Aster clone was nowhere to be found. "Not only can your clones talk, but you've enhanced their endurance so that they don't disappear with one blow. You had me fooled for a while, which gave you enough time to analyse my moves and teleport away from a deadly attack."

"Okay. Enough of your questions. Now it's my turn. Question one: why are you trying to kill Haru?"

"That's not for your concern. Even if it was, I'd never tell you."

"Okay, that went down the pan. Question two..." Aster narrowed his blue eyes. "What's the phoenix fire...and what does it have to do with me?"

"The what?" Haru said.

"Jesse...what's the phoenix fire?" Selena asked.

"I don't know." Jesse shook his head. The gang turned to look at Hiruko.

"H-hey! Just because I was a Juusenshi doesn't mean that I know!" Hiruko protested, waving his arms up and down.

"So, do you know or what?" Hannah demanded.

"No. Only the top five Juusenshi know."

"Meno?" Daisy looked at Meno, who fidgeted with her hands.

"Er...I um..." She turned away "..." She looked back at Daisy and shook her head. "Sorry. When I was with Miranda, I didn't know anything about the phoenix fire. In fact, this whole obsession about the phoenix fire occurred after I left."

"Great." Syrus sighed. "Basically, we don't know anything."

"Actually..." Hassleberry started.

"Shut up!" Hannah snapped. "Nevara's probably gonna spill it." Back with Nevara and Aster, Nevara was the same calm self.

"I don't have to tell you." She said. "You already know."

"Huh?" Aster blinked. "No I... that's why I'm asking you."

"And you wasted your breath."

"Tell me or I'll slice your throat." Aster demanded, holding the swords closer to Nevara's neck.

"Would you?"

"!" Aster glared at Nevara.

"It's true; you've fought more than any of your friends, and have more experience in combat, but have you ever killed your opponents?" Aster hesitated, loosening his grip on his swords. "I thought not. You're just talk, aren't you? You really don't want to kill me, do you? So, be a good boy and lower your swords." Aster jammed the sword in his left hand into the ground and jumped backwards away from Nevara. The sword in the ground burst into a puddle.

"I'll only drop that one. But you still haven't answered my question." Aster raised his sword in front of him. "Now... we can do this the easy way, or the hard way. Which will it be?" Nevara said nothing. "Alright..." Aster charged towards Nevara, sword raised. "I guess I'll have to pound the answer outta ya!" Nevara materialised a blue sword made of frost, and the two swords clashed.

"I'm flattered. I didn't think you'd use a weapon so soon. I thought I might have to force you to use it. Does this mean you see me as a worthy opponent?" Aster asked, pushing against Nevara's blade.

"No. I merely see you as a threat that has to be eliminated."

"Good enough for me." Nevara and Aster disappeared from the spot.

"What the... where'd they go?" Jaden looked left and right for them.

"Up there." Aiko pointed up at the sky. Sure enough, Nevara and Aster were high up in the sky. Aster moved forward for another attack, which Nevara successfully blocked using her blade, shrugged off Aster's sword and attempted an attack herself, but it was blocked. Nevara and Aster continued to block each other's attacks, while Haru, Alister and the gang watched.

"Amazing." Was all Haru managed to say. Alister scratched his head, rather amused.

"My my. Phoenix boy certainly has some fire in him." Suddenly, Aster and Nevara teleported next to Alister, clashed their swords with each other, and disappeared again. "Whoa! Careful, Miss Nevara!" Alister exclaimed, smiling. Aster and Nevara appeared in the stage in the centre of the chasm, their swords still locked together.

"Alister, you have to get away from here. Now!" Nevara shouted.

"Now? Why do I..." Alister became quiet. "Oh...I see." His expression suddenly became serious. "I guess I'd better go home. Let me know what happens." He looked up at Jesse. "See ya round, Jesse!" He yelled cheerfully, waving at Jesse, before he disappeared in a flash of red light.

"Do you know him, soldier?" Hassleberry asked.

"I've never seen him in my life." Jesse lied.

"Why'd you tell him to go away?" Aster wondered, forcing his sword away from Nevara and jumping back. "Don't tell me you're going to go all out."

"I hate having to use full force, but if you insist, I might have to."

"But still, I'm surprised you asked that guy to go away." Aster shrugged his shoulders. "It seems that the number one Juusenshi who killed her own parents and the entire stone wielder race actually has a human side. No offence Haru."

"You're still as arrogant as always, phoenix boy." Aster looked down at the ground, clenching his fists.

"Why is that the only name I keep hearing?" He muttered. "I hate it." Aster jerked his head up to face Nevara, suddenly very angry. "Of all the crap I've heard from you guys, this is the most annoying. All you keep saying is "phoenix boy" this, and "boy of the phoenix" that, and it's starting to piss me off! You all say it's to do with the phoenix fire, and that I'm connected to it somehow, but what you won't tell me is how!" Aster stamped his foot. "It's all so frustrating!"

"Why do I have to explain anything to you?!" Nevara snapped. "You know exactly what I'm talking about!"

"No I have no idea what you're talking about!" Aster snapped back. Aster threw his sword on the ground with such force that it shattered into shards of ice. "Just stop talking in riddles all the time and come out with a straight answer already!" Everyone stared at Aster, who was out of breath, after his outburst. Nevara thought for a minute.

"Phoenix boy." She started.

"What?" Aster snapped, still angry.

"Do you have a silver phoenix on you?"

"Huh? This thing?" Aster pulled the silver phoenix crest from his jacket pocket.

"What's that?" Jesse asked.

"I haven't got a clue." Jaden answered. His eyes suddenly widened. "Wait! I think I've seen it before! Well... sort of." The gang turned to look at Jaden. "When the twins attacked us, Aster and I were cornered by Mariko, and Aster started acting really weird. He was talking to something in the air. I couldn't quite see what it was, but now I see it more clearly. Whatever that silver thing is, it must be valuable if Nevara knows what it is."

"Yes. That thing. That is also related to the phoenix fire."

"It is?" Nevara nodded. "How?"

"I don't know."

"EEH?!" Aster exclaimed. "Then why'd you make me drag it out when you don't even know what it is?!"

"I was just confirming some vital information."

"What information?" Aster dared to ask.

"I'm not sure if you know this or not, but there is a prophecy." Aster raised an eyebrow.

"Prophecy?"

"It states that during the phoenix warrior cycle, there shall be a male phoenix warrior with great power known as the phoenix fire. The phoenix fire has the power to wipe out entire worlds with one use, and whoever owns it shall be the most powerful being in existence, surpassing even that of a god."

"That's the phoenix fire?" Haru said.

"The phoenix fire is incredibly powerful, and as you know, it is dangerous in the wrong hands, and especially to those who can't control it properly. Miss Miranda wants this power for herself, so that she can rule all. What she's going to use it for, I'm not sure."

"So...this thing's the phoenix fire?" Aster looked at the silver phoenix in his palm.

"No."

"What?" Aster looked up.

"That is merely the spirit of the phoenix fire. The real thing has yet to surface." Aster placed the phoenix back in his pocket.

"Either way, I ain't handing it over to you willingly." Nevara glanced away from Aster impatiently.

"I'm bored now." She announced. Before Aster could react, she threw a knife at Aster, which landed in his right side.

"GAH!" Aster dropped down on one knee, clutching the knife. He pulled it out quickly, and his hand went back to the injury.

"Stay there like a good boy." Nevara ordered. "I've got some business to take care of." Nevara turned around.

"Where're you...oh no. Haru!" Aster tried to get up, but realised that he couldn't. "What?"

"That knife has a paralysis liquid on it. You can't move, even if you try to force yourself.

"Dammit. Not again." Aster hissed.

"Aster!" Haru started making a move towards Aster, but Nevara jammed her blade in the ground in front of Haru, preventing him from moving any further. Nevara began to walk towards Haru, who walked backwards away from Nevara in fear. His foot stopped at the edge of the chasm, where a few small stones fell from the edge. Haru looked down.

_I'm trapped!_ Haru turned back to Nevara, who raised her right fist, which had water flowing around it that solidified into a large ice ball.

"Now then, baby brother..." Nevara smiled wickedly. "FAREWELL!!" She threw the ice ball at Haru, who could only watch as it headed towards him. It hit him directly on the head, knocking him out and forcing him backwards. His feet left the edge of the platform, and he started to fall.

"Haru!" Hassleberry pulled out his sickle and chain weapon and leapt into the chasm.

"Hassleberry! Are you nuts?!" Jaden yelled. Hassleberry threw the blade edge of the weapon at the edge of the platform, which jammed into the ground. Clinging onto the chain, Hassleberry swung through the air towards Haru, and when he reached him, Hassleberry grabbed Haru around his waist with his left arm, and the chain swung to a halt, leaving them dangling over the bottomless pit.

"Phew. That was close." Hassleberry sighed, relieved. "Hey, guys! It's alright! I've got Haru! He's unconscious, but he's okay!"

"Alright!" Jesse exclaimed, clenching his fists.

"Way to go, dino boy!" Hannah cheered

"Aw, it was nothing."

"Whew." Aster sighed, relieved. "I'm glad Hassleberry's stupid idea actually worked." Aster said to himself, scratching his head. He stopped. "Wait." He looked at his hand. "I can move." He tried to stand up, and it worked. "Did the paralysis wear off? No, it can't have. No paralysis agent lasts for a short amount of time. So that means...I regenerated again."

"Heh heh. My plan actually worked. For once it worked!" Hassleberry yelled happily.

"Hassleberry?!"

"Eh?" Hassleberry looked at Haru, who was now conscious and staring at Hassleberry.

"W...what's going on?! What're you doing?!"

"Oh... you're awake. Guess that blow to the head wasn't hard enough. You've still got a massive graze though."

"Answer my question. What happened?"

"Long story short: I've saved your life." Haru blinked, surprised. "Just don't look down."

"What?" Haru looked down. "Ulp." Haru sweat dropped. All he saw underneath his feet was blackness. "GYAAAAAHHH!!!" Haru yelled, waving his arms up and down frantically. He clung to Hassleberry. "Why the heck am I so far off the ground?" He muttered, suddenly deathly afraid.

"Come on! It's not that high up."

"Not that high up?!" Haru exclaimed. "We are barely hanging on by a thread over a pit where you can't even see the floor or if it even has one for that matter and you're saying it's not that high up?! You have very strange logic, Tyranno Hassleberry!"

"Grr! Y'know, I think you were a lot better unconscious!"

"So why don't you just knock me out now?!"

"I would, but in case you haven't noticed, I've kinda got my hands full!"

"Keh. Whatever. Just get us back up there already." There was a long silence. Haru slowly looked at Hassleberry. "You have thought this through, right?" He asked.

"Eheheh." Hassleberry laughed nervously. "Well...it was all happening so fast...and I didn't have much time to properly think about it...so..."

"YOU IDIOT!"

_Bonk!_

"OW!"

"Well, at least they're okay." Aster muttered, sweat dropping. Nevara turned back to Aster.

"What? Why are you standing?"

"That's what I'd like to know."

"That proves my theory." Nevara said thoughtfully. "You are definitely linked to the phoenix fire."

"Wait. What do you mean by "definitely"?" Aster asked.

"In the past, there have been several generations of the phoenix warrior." Nevara explained. "But there has been a certain pattern to them."

"Pattern?" Aster repeated.

"Yes. Tell me, phoenix boy. Do you have any other female relatives?"

"What? Er...yeah. I've got a couple of grandmothers, but they all died before I even met them."

"That's the pattern. The female phoenix warrior always dies first."

"They what?!" Aster exclaimed, shocked.

"They died before the male phoenix warrior. Or rather...they were killed."

"I don't understand." Aster protested. "Hannah's mother was a phoenix warrior, but she's still alive."

"A phoenix warrior's powers develop when they come of age, usually when they're sixteen; the same age you are now. When that happens, the current phoenix warriors lose their abilities, and they are passed on to the next generation. However, Hannah's powers developed when she was three. Therefore, there was no need to kill Karen."

"That doesn't make any sense at all. Why do you have to kill them anyway?"

"Because in order for the phoenix fire to awaken in the male phoenix warrior, the female has to die

"But...Hannah's still alive. So why are my powers changing when they shouldn't be?" Nevara glared at Aster, making him flinch slightly. She smiled wickedly.

"What are you talking about?" She muttered, her voice dripping with hatred. "Hannah...is already dead." The taunt sent Aster completely over the edge and, completely enraged, teleported from where he stood, and reappeared next to Nevara. He attempted a punch, but she blocked it with her arm.

"I thought I made it clear to you, but you obviously don't get it. You cannot defeat me with such predictable attacks."

_BOOM!_

"AH!" Nevara gasped, stumbling backwards out of the cloud of smoke that developed from the explosion. There was a large graze on the side of her head that leaked blood.

"Shut your damn mouth!" The smoke cleared to show a very angry Aster. "People like you really piss me off, you know that?!"

_Interesting…_ Nevara thought. _It seems that when he goes through emotional turmoil, Aster temporarily becomes stronger. It's just like when he faced Ember. Had he not released his anger, he would've drowned and the other brats would've died._ She rubbed the graze on her head.

"This is…unexpected." Nevara said. "You're forcing me to use my full strength."

"Does this mean you're going to take this seriously now?" Aster asked. Nevara took up a fighting stance.

"What are you saying? I've been serious from the start." Nevara shot a projectile of frost at Aster, which he deflected with his fist, before shooting a beam of blue energy from his right hand, which Nevara narrowly avoided.

"What did she mean by "Hannah's already dead"?" Jaden wondered while Nevara and Aster continued to attack each other.

"Hannah's alive and well, but Nevara says that she's dead." Hiruko said thoughtfully. Jaden and Hiruko looked at each other.

"But that means…" They said at the same time. Both of them pointed at a surprised Hannah "SHE'S A ZOMBIE!" They yelled.

"I AM NOT A ZOMBIE!" Hannah yelled back. "MORONS!"

"WOULD YOU ALL JUST SHUT UP?!" Daisy snapped

"YOU SHUT UP!" Hiruko, Jaden and Hannah yelled back.

"NO YOU SHUT UP!"

"NO YOU SHUT UP!"

"Why don't you ALL shut up?!" Jesse snapped. Daisy, Jaden, Hiruko and Hannah flinched.

"Yes, Jesse." Daisy muttered.

"Yes, sir." Hiruko murmured.

"Sorry, Jesse." Jaden apologised.

"Sorry." Hannah said huffily.

KA-BOOM!

"What the…" Jesse started, before he and the entire gang had to shield themselves from the debris.

"What happened?" Aiko asked. Nevara and Aster were thrown out of the dust cloud that had formed, and they landed on opposite sides of the cavern, denting the walls they landed on with a crater.

"I'm guessing they both attacked at the same time with an attack that had equal power, and the result made the attacks cancel each other out, causing an explosion, and forcing both of them back." Selena said.

"Urgh… that smarts." Aster groaned, rubbing his head. His eyes widened as he noticed Nevara, who had already recovered, charging towards him through the air. Her right arm glowed with frost, and she punched the spot where Aster was, but he only just managed to dodge by jumping out of the way.

_I guess I've got to activate them…_ Aster thought. No sooner did he think this, the orb in his manacle glowed, and his wings appeared behind him. "Huh?" Aster looked at the wings that were keeping him in the air. "I didn't know they could activate on thought alone."

"They can't!" Nevara leapt up at Aster, preparing another attack.

"Yikes!" Aster crossed his arms on front of him, ready to defend. However, his wings bent towards Nevara, and a rally of feather darts shot out towards her. Nevara's eyes widened, and she teleported out of the way. As soon as the feathers stopped firing, Aster was completely dumbfounded.

"GAH! I didn't know they could do that either! What the heck is going on here?!" Aster yelled, waving his arms frantically. "These things weren't meant for offence, they're only used for flight! Alright, as soon as I get home, my dad's gonna owe me a big explanation!"

"He's still clueless?" Nevara said to himself. "He must be linked to the phoenix fire if his own weapon is changing." She closed her eyes. "If that's the case, then there must be more power inside him then he can imagine… and I must draw it out." Frost began to swirl around the bottom of her feet.

"H…hey. What're you doing?" Aster asked nervously.

"What you've always wanted me to do." Nevara looked up at Aster, her eyes glowing red. "**Getting serious.**" Her voice sounded demonic, and there was a large explosion of frost.

"Damn it." Aster flew down to the gang, and landed on the ground beside them.

"What's wrong?" Meno asked.

"Get out of here! Run!"

"What?! No way! I'm not leaving you!" Daisy protested.

"Don't argue with me! Just go!" Aster yelled. However, before they could make a move, the explosion of frost got bigger and exploded through the entire clearing, covering everything with a sheet of ice.

"WHOA!" Jaden slipped on the ice and tried to keep his balance.

"What's happening?" Meno asked.

"What is that thing?!" Selena squealed, pointing at the arena, or rather, what was on top of it. Covering the entire arena, and most of the clearing, was a scorpion of monstrous size made of ice, complete with icy legs, a long tail and giant claws.

"Is that…Nevara?" Aiko asked.

"I…I think so." Aster answered.

"**You are correct, pixie.**" The scorpion said. "**This is my true power, and as you can tell, everything here is covered in ice. This is me getting serious, as phoenix boy said.**"

"So that's why she wanted Alister to leave." Hannah realised.

"It looks like we're all in on this now." Jesse stepped forward.

"**I wouldn't move if I were you. If you do, you'll regret it.**"

"What? AH!" Jesse's eyes widened as ice began to creep up his legs.

"Jesse!" Selena materialised her wand and whacked at the ice to try and break Jesse free.

"No, Selena. You'll get caught too." Jesse protested.

"But…"

"Listen…you're one of the few of us you can fly, so get up in the air and avoid the ice. It's up to you guys, okay?" Jesse forced a reassuring smile. Selena's eyes shone, before she nodded and flew up into the air.

"Daisy! Aiko!" Aster called out. "Up and away!" Aster and Daisy activated their wings and flew up to Selena, Aiko following suit. "Any ideas?" Aster asked.

"We've got to help them somehow, but they can't fly like us."

"Maybe I could melt the ice somehow." Selena suggested.

"That's not possible. Just look at how much there is. It'll be impossible." Aiko said.

"So, basically, we're screwed." Daisy folded her arms.

"It certainly looks like it." Aster agreed.

"Aster!" Hannah yelled. "Is it just me, or is the ice moving?" Sure enough, there were small columns rising up from the ice, growing to a height of six feet, until they began to take shape into hulking ice golems.

"Damn, damn, damn!" Hiruko yelled. "We are so dead!"

"Uh… I don't want to alarm you guys, but the ice has kind of reached waist line." Jesse panicked, the ice gradually rising around him.

"This might hurt, Jesse." Hannah shot a fireball at Jesse, which was a direct hit, and the ice around him smashed.

"Wow, thanks."

"**Didn't you hear me?**" The ice around Hannah began to move, and it slowly crept up her right leg.

"Shoot!"

"**If any of you move, I shall make the ice on the ground encase you until you are completely covered by it. However, I also have ice golems ready to attack you, and their attacks and touch alone are enough to encase you in a block of ice, so I'd avoid them, but then the ice floor would make that rather difficult wouldn't it?**"

"Haven't you Juusenshi ever heard of a fair fight?!" Hiruko yelled

"**You should know there is no such thing, Hiruko. Life is unfair, get used to it.**"

"Shut up!" The scorpion was silent.

"**Shhh.**" She hissed quietly. "**Be quiet, sweetheart.**" Hiruko flinched. "**You'll wake the baby.**"

"No." Hiruko whispered, shaking his head.

"Hiruko, are you okay?" Jaden asked. Hiruko's blue eyes shone as images flashed in his mind. He saw a nine year old Mariko crying in the corner as a knife wielding shadow advanced on her.

"No!" Hiruko said again, starting to tremble. He then saw a six month old baby lying in a pool of blood, and finally, he saw a woman dressed in a white nightshirt that was stained with blood, one arm holding a dead baby and another holding a blood stained knife. The woman looked up, a mad look in her eyes.

"_Shhh. Be quiet, sweetheart. You'll wake the baby."_

"NOOOOO!" Hiruko screamed, crouching on the ground with his hands on his head. An ice golem took advantage of this and shot an ice beam at Hiruko, immediately encasing him in a block of ice.

"Hiruko!" Aster yelled.

"How dare you?!" Selena yelled at Nevara. "H's clearly been traumatised by something, and you took advantage of it just to attack him?!" The moon in her wand glowed. "You'll pay for that." Nevara swatted her out of the sky and onto the ground, where the ice grew around her body and trapped her onto the floor.

"Selena!" Jesse ran towards her.

"Jesse, behind you!" Selena yelled, just before her face was encased in ice.

"Huh?" Jesse looked behind him, and a golem placed a finger on his head, freezing Jesse in a block of ice in mid-run.

"Jesse!" Jaden shot a laser from his gun at the golem, but it swatted it away effortlessly, and it bounced off its arm towards Jaden. He jumped out of the way to avoid the laser. "Oops." He muttered after realizing that he moved and in seconds, he too was covered in ice. The ice around Hannah also completely covered her.

"Stay close, Chloe." Melody warned, pulling out her wooden flute. Four ice golems surrounded the two sisters, and they all shot beams of frost at them, immediately freezing them in ice.

"**HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!**" Nevara laughed. "**I can't believe how easy this is. Seven are down already, and it's been barely five minutes!**"

"Oh no!" Meno gasped. Ice began to crawl up her ankles.

"Hold on Meno." Syrus activated his sword, but the tip touched the ground, and ice made its way up the sword. "What the..." Syrus tried to pull his sword free, but that only made the ice spread faster. Eventually, it reached his arm, then his chest, then his legs, and he too was covered in ice.

"Syrus!" Meno cried, the ice now reaching neck length.

"This can't be happening!" Aiko shouted, shaking her head.

"Well it is." Aster said. "And we're the only ones left."

"So? This is usually the point where you say "I've got an idea guys!"." Daisy said.

"Sorry but... I really don't know what to do." Aster looked down at the frozen gang. "I'm all out of ideas. It's over."

"LOOK OUT!" Daisy shoved Aster out of the way, making his wings disappear and he began to fall to the ground, just as Nevara's claw hit Daisy. Aster hit the ground with a heavy thud, and Daisy soon followed. Ice began to cover Daisy from the ground. She smiled.

"I'm glad you're okay." She said. The ice covered her completely.

"Daisy!" Aster shouted.

"Why you..." Aiko lined an arrow up on her bow. Nevara raised her tail, and a beam shot out from the tip, hitting Aiko and also placing her in a block of ice. She fell to the ground and cracked the ice on the floor.

"Aiko!" Aster shouted, standing up. He looked up at Nevara, whose glowing red eyes were fixed on him. "Me." He muttered. The scorpion began to walk towards Aster, who walked backwards to avoid her.

"**Heheheh. You're the only one left now.**" Nevara's claw reached down and grabbed Aster, lifting him off the ground to eye level. "**I was hoping this would make you release your true power, but clearly it hasn't worked.**"

"Gakh!" Nevara's grip around him tightened, and he placed his hands on the claw, trying to break free, unsuccessfully.

"**Oops. Sorry.**" Nevara said sarcastically. "**I'm not used to using this sort of strength. I have to really concentrate so that I don't crush you, you know.**" Aster managed to open one eye.

"You'll pay for this."

"**That's pretty tough talk from someone who can't help his friends. Oh, well. Time to die.**" Ice began to form on his legs. Aster looked down, alarmed. He looked at his frozen friends, then at Nevara. He clenched his fists and narrowed his shining eyes.

"You'll...stop..." Aster closed his eyes tightly. "This..."

_Something doesn't feel right._ Nevara thought.

"NOOOOOWWW!!!" Aster screamed. Suddenly, there was a burst of bright light from Aster.

"**AH!**" Nevara yelled, shielding herself with her free claw. The white light spread rapidly throughout the entire ice covered clearing, melting the ice immediately, and the ice golems screamed as the light burned them. The light spread to the frozen gang, freeing them in an instant.

"Whoa!" Jesse fell over on the ground.

"Weren't we frozen just a minute ago?" Syrus asked.

"Yeah. What happened?" Chloe asked, holding onto Melody's arm.

"Hiruko!" Jaden got down on one knee next to Hiruko, who was still crouched on the ground clutching his head.

"No...no..." He muttered.

"Um...guys?" Daisy started. She pointed up at the sky. "What's that?" The gang looked up, and their eyes widened.

"Hassleberry, what're you doing?!"

"One...two...THREE!"

"WAAAAHHH!!" Haru appeared at the edge of the chasm, and clung to the slightly damp from ice ground. He glared at the blade from Hassleberry's weapon.

"Oh, great idea Hassleberry." Haru said sarcastically. "Throw me up while you get to climb up comfortably and invincibly." Hassleberry appeared next to Haru.

"Shut up! That was all I could think of!"

"Well next time, think things through before taking action, okay?" Haru turned away from Hassleberry, and his eyes widened.

"What's wrong?" Hassleberry asked.

"Hassleberry..." Haru started, his eyes shining. "What the heck is that?"

"Um... that would be a giant scorpion, soldier."

"Not that. That."

"I..." Hassleberry started, finally spotting it. "I don't know."

"Is that..." Meno said.

"No way." Jesse breathed. On the ground stood a giant creature resembling a half-man half-bird that was even taller than the scorpion Nevara, and made entirely of fire. It had arms covered with feathers up to the elbow, the hands had giant claws that looked like they could cut through anything, the feet were bird talons, and it had the head of a bird. On its back were wings that were folded. The very presence of the creature warmed up the atmosphere, and the sky turned black with hints of red. In the centre of this creature's chest, looking as tiny as an ant compared to the giant bird was Aster.

"**It can't be.**" Nevara whispered. "**It's more than what we predicted. Aster isn't just linked to the phoenix fire.**" Aster looked up, the whole of his eyes glowing white. "**He has it.**"

**TA DA!!! Well, I think that was a pretty good chapter, don't you? Anyway, please review, and the more reviews I get, the faster I'll update! Next time, Aster gets to use this new power of his. What does it do? Will Nevara be defeated? Find i=out next time, only in Phoenix Fire.**


	19. Chapter 19: Hassleberry's Confession

**Hiya folks! Well, this is the climax of the fight between Nevara and Aster, and the phoenix has finally revealed. Hee hee! I bet you guys were all "What's the phoenix fire? Why do the bad guys want it?" Well let's find out already!**

Chapter 19

Hassleberry's Confession

"Did she just say what I think she did?" Jaden asked.

"That depends what you thought she said." Hannah muttered, staring up at Aster.

"Well, I think Nevara said that Aster isn't just linked to the phoenix fire, but he has it."

"Yup, I think that's what she said." Syrus nodded.

"But what does it mean?" Meno asked.

"I…have no idea." Aster looked at Nevara, and the phoenix-man he was inside did the same. Nevara could only stare at Aster.

"**Such amazing power.**" Nevara said. "**So this is the phoenix fire. I understand why Miss Miranda wants it so much. But in order for that to happen…**" Nevara raised her claws. "**The host has to be taken down.**" The phoenix spread its wings, and took off into the air. Nevara narrowed her eyes. She raised a claw into the air, and thousands on ice golems appeared on the ground.

"Not again!" Jesse yelled.

"Hiruko, snap out of it!" Jaden begged, shaking Hiruko's shoulder, but he was still in shock.

"Don't try fighting them, guys." Daisy shouted.

"What?" Aiko yelled. "Then do you expect them to destroy us?"

"No."

"Then let's fight!" Melody yelled.

"No. Aster will take them down and defeat Nevara." Daisy smiled. "I…have faith in him."

"Are we just gonna sit here and watch?" Hassleberry asked, still staring at Aster.

"It doesn't look like we've got much of a choice." Haru asked. "We just have to leave it up to Aster."

"**GO!**" Nevara shouted. The ice golems roared and prepared to attack, but they never got the chance. As soon as Nevara yelled, the phoenix swooped down to their level, at as it flew over the golems, a long stream of fire shot out from its mouth, melting them into vapour.

"He took half of them out with one blow?" Selena said.

"Whoa..." Jaden said slowly.

"Look out!" Melody warned. "There are still more of them."

"Help!" Meno cried, as four golems began to surround her.

"Hang on Meno!" Syrus sliced their midsections off with his sword, and their upper bodies fell onto the ground. The golems began to use their hands to walk around surprisingly quickly. "Uh oh."

"Get out the way!" Jesse shouted.

"What?" Syrus looked up. "YIKES!" Syrus jumped out of the way just as a huge fireball crashed into the ground, destroying the four golems. "Watch what you're doing Aster!"

"I'm not sure Aster's even controlling it." Aiko said. "He activated it unwillingly, and it's acting on instinct and destroying these ice monsters. It'll move onto Nevara soon enough, and when that happens, we'd better watch out." The phoenix hovered in the air, and it raised its right hand in the air. Aster made the phoenix bring its arm down, and multiple numbers of fire darts shot out from the fingertips. The darts flew around the sky, the phoenix and Nevara, who tried to swat them away, without any success.

"What are those things?" Chloe asked.

"I think they're..." Selena started. She saw them take shape, sprouting a tail, claws, a head and wings. "They're phoenixes!" She realised.

" Mini phoenixes?!" Hassleberry exclaimed.

"You call them mini?! They're huge!" Haru yelled at him. The phoenixes flew around the clearing, shooting fireballs from their mouths at the ice golems and at Nevara.

"**ARGH! Damn you!**"

"Coco!" Aiko yelled. Coco ran out of the woods and leapt onto her shoulder. "Guys, we have to get out of here! If this keeps up, they'll be nothing left!" She tapped Coco's forehead, and he immediately burst into flames and transformed into his humongous form. "Get on everyone!"

"Come on, Hiruko!" Jaden tried to shake him out of his trance, but to no avail.

"Let me deal with this. Get onto Coco." Daisy grabbed Hiruko's shoulders and stared into Hiruko's glazed eyes. "Sorry." She muttered quickly. "Hiruko! Snap out of it!" She slapped Hiruko across his face. Hiruko blinked, and the blank look was gone.

"H-hey! What's going on?" He asked, looking back at Daisy and ignoring the pain on his left cheek.

"Questions later. C'mon!" Daisy grabbed Hiruko's hand and ran to Coco, climbing into his massive saddle. As soon as everyone was on, Coco leapt into the air, avoiding fireballs as he flew.

"We're not gonna make it! We're not gonna make it!" Syrus panicked.

"Where's Haru?" Aiko asked frantically. "And where's Hassleberry?"

"They're down there!" Meno pointed down to the arena, and Haru and Hassleberry were clinging onto the edge.

"We have to help them!" Aiko cried.

"Over here!" Haru yelled, waving his arm in the air. Suddenly, a fireball crashed into the ground in front of them, stunning Hassleberry and forcing him to let go, but as soon as he started to fall, Haru grabbed his arm.

"Even?" He asked.

"Even." Hassleberry nodded.

"Jump on!" Jaden shouted. Coco flew underneath them, and Haru let go of the edge, allowing them to drop into Coco's saddle.

"Mind filling us in on what the heck's going on?" Hassleberry asked.

"The short version is that Aster's suddenly become really powerful and is-" Jaden paused to duck as a phoenix flew over his head. "-taking down Nevara." He finished.

"The short version tells me jack."

"Does he even have control over that...that thing?" Selena asked.

"It's hard to tell." Aiko peered at the giant phoenix, which was now shooting ultra-sonic shrieks at Nevara, destroying several of her legs. "One thing is for sure; Aster is more than connected to the phoenix fire."

_I feel like I'm hearing this twice. _Hassleberry thought. He looked back at Aster. _It's just like what Cat told me._

"Look out!" Hannah placed a hand on Hassleberry's head and forced him down, just as a phoenix flew over his head.

"So close! So close!" Hassleberry exclaimed. Coco looked at the giant phoenix. It was now hovering above the ground, but wasn't attacking. Coco gave a low growl and flew over to the arena, landing on the circular platform.

"Hey, what gives?" Hiruko asked, peering over the saddle.

"He senses danger, so he's stopped to protect us." Aiko answered.

"Danger?" Daisy repeated. "Why? What's going to happen?"

"Uh...guys?" Syrus started nervously.

"What's wrong?" Meno asked. Syrus pointed at Aster. The phoenix crossed its arms across his chest, and thrust them out again, bursting in a giant flash of light, while the smaller phoenix's burst into large explosions.

"GAH!" The gang shielded themselves from the light. Nevara's high screams could be heard clearly over the roaring of the fire in the light. Then, after several seconds, the light started to fade.

"Is it over?" Selena whispered.

"Only one way to find out. Coco!" Coco flew into the air again and left the arena. The ground below them was burnt with black ashes, and there would occasionally be a murky puddle of water.

"Wow." Jesse muttered, staring down at the wreckage.

"Aster's over there." Daisy pointed at the still fading light, which was becoming smaller and smaller. "Make Coco land there."

"Right!" Coco landed on the ground beside the light. Daisy was the first to slide off, and she ran towards the light. It faded completely, and Aster stood on the ground, staggering slightly.

"Aster! Are you okay?" Daisy asked, just as Aster dropped onto his knees. Daisy knelt beside him, and grabbed his shoulders. Aster looked up.

"Sure. I'm good as new." Aster muttered weakly.

"Idiot. You're a mess."

"No I'm not. There's not a speck of dirt on me."

"That's not what I meant." Daisy hugged Aster from behind. "I'm just glad you're okay."

"To be honest, so am I."

"Where's Nevara?" Jaden asked.

"She's over there...I think." Nevara staggered out of a cloud of smoke. She was covered with minor burns, was barely standing up and was out of breath.

"Damn...you...phoenix!" She gasped. "This isn't over!" She disappeared in a flash of blue light.

"She's gone." Jesse said.

"That's the least of our worries. We've got to get back home and tell James about what has happened." Aster decided, whilst Daisy helped him stand up.

"The only problem is how." Hannah turned to look at Hiruko. "And what do we do with this traitor?" Hiruko looked rather hurt by what Hannah said, until Jaden placed a hand on his shoulder.

"He's coming home with us."

"What?!" Everyone exclaimed.

"He helped us didn't he? Without him, I'd still be inside Mokuren, and I'd be dead by now. That's proof enough for me that he's one of us. Besides, aren't Haru and Meno former followers of Miranda?"

"He does have a point." Meno pointed out.

"Hello! He tried to kill us!" Haru said.

"So did you." Haru stayed quiet.

"Fine. What the hell? He can stay." Aster said dismissively. Hiruko beamed.

"Thank you so much!"

"Now then: home time." As soon as Aster said this, an orange portal opened up in the sky above the gang, and an orange beam surrounded them all. "Did I do that?" Before anyone could answer, everyone soon found themselves back on the hill outside domino city, the setting sun turning the sky orange.

"Wow!" Hiruko exclaimed. "What a view!"

"Here's my bag!" Selena picked up her school satchel. "Phew. My phone's still inside." Selena touched her necklace, her entire body glowed, and she was back in her school uniform. Selena stood up, clutching her bag. Jesse stood by her side.

"Thanks for your help today, Selena."

"Oh...I-I didn't do much. Really." Selena protested flustered. "It's just that...I wanted to help you. So...so if you ever need my help, just call me, okay?"

"Sure."

"I'd better head home. See you later!" Selena ran down the hill, while Jesse waved at her.

"Alright, guys. Let's go." Jesse made his way down the hill, the rest of the gang following.

"Aiko, you'd better go back to your normal form."

"Why?"

"Well...how should I put this? It's not everyday people see a girl with wings."

"It isn't?"

"It might seem normal to you, but this is earth. Things are pretty different here." Haru ignored the voices of the gang, and stared up at the portal as it closed.

_Nevara..._ He thought sadly. Without any warning, somebody tied a piece of cloth around his forehead.

"Gah! What the...hey! Ack! Ah!" Haru protested.

"There you go." Hassleberry brushed his hands together.

"What'd you do that for?" Haru demanded.

"Nevara attacked you, didn't she? There's a massive mark on your head." Haru placed a hand on the bandage.

"Er...thanks."

"Don't mention it." Hassleberry walked away from Haru. "I don't know about you, but I'm starving! I could really use some-"

"Why did you save me?" Haru interrupted. Hassleberry stopped walking. "You could have let me fall, but you almost risked your life to save me. So why did you do it?"

"You obviously don't understand the phrase "A sergeant always looks out for his soldiers." So I'll explain it more clearly." Hassleberry turned to look at Haru, grinning cheerfully. "I'm not gonna let my best friends die."

"?!!" Haru was left speechless at what Hassleberry said, and Hassleberry turned around and began to walk away.

"_I'm not gonna let my best friends die."_

...

"AAAHHH!! You look so cute!" Daisy squealed. Aiko was no longer in her guardian form, and she was dressed in a pink t-shirt with a Hello Kitty on the front, blue jeans and white trainers. She wore her bracelet on her right arm.

"You think so?" She asked, looking at her arms.

"Well, you're going to be living here for a while, so you should look the part." Aiko sighed.

"We've only been home five minutes, and you've already bombarded me with your old clothes?"

"Well, you can't walk around with wings on your back, can you?" Daisy folded her arms.

"I suppose..." Aiko made her way out of Daisy's bedroom in the flat.

"She seems a little different to when she's a fairy, right Haru?"

"How'd you know I was here?" Haru peered into her bedroom.

"Magic." Daisy said mysteriously.

"Aiko's acting this way because...well, when you're a guardian, sometimes your personality changes when you transform, so..."

WHAP!

"OW!" Aiko staggered back, rubbing her head. "Who put that wall there?" Aiko walked through the doorway. Daisy sweat dropped.

"I get it." She muttered. "She's an airhead." She blinked out of her trance. "Where'd Aster go?"

"He's briefing James on everything that has happened. If he knows anything about this, then James has a lot of explaining to do."

"Guys! Come here! We're gonna get some answers!"

Several minutes later, the gang were all in the living room of the flat. However, some were missing.

"What about Kai? And where's Meno and those two sisters?" Haru asked.

"Kai moved into his own flat. And the girls you mentioned wanted to go to bed." James answered.

"So? What the heck's going on here?" Jesse asked. James paused for a moment before answering.

"What Aster told me is very unusual to say the least. But, this isn't the first time his powers have changed. It happened when he fought Magdala; no phoenix warrior has ever been able to control a human like that. Then, I was injured, and I would've died if Aster hadn't intervened. Plus, there's the silver phoenix he found." Aster brought out the crest from his pocket.

"This thing saved me more than once, but I don't know why. That's why I thought you would know, because I found it on the bookshelf." James turned away.

"I'm sorry but...this time, I really don't know."

"What?!" Aster yelled. "You were a phoenix warrior like me, and you're saying you don't know?!"

"Aster, I really wish I did, but I honestly don't know what's going on with you. If I did I would have told you weeks ago."

"..." Aster turned away, frustrated.

"Uh..." Everyone turned to look at Hassleberry, who was sat in an armchair and had an arm in the air. "Actually... I think I might."

"What do you mean?" Jaden asked.

"I'm not sure how to explain this but I..." Hassleberry glanced at the floor nervously. "Well...you see..."

"What?" Jesse asked.

"Spit it out already!" Hannah snapped impatiently.

"I KNOW WHY THE JUUSENSHI ARE AFTER ASTER AND HARU!!!" Hassleberry blurted out in one breath, and while he said it, he stood up with such force, the armchair fall over.

"What?! So why didn't you tell us sooner?" Every member of the gang exclaimed at the same time.

"I tried, but I kept getting interrupted." He glared at Hannah. "In fact, Hannah stopped me when I was about to tell you for the third time."

"Hey, hey! How was I supposed to know?" Hannah protested.

"Anyway..." Hassleberry continued. "I found out what the phoenix fire is, and how Aster is linked to it."

"Out with it then." Aster said. Hassleberry hesitated for a moment.

"Well it's like this...Y'know that prophecy Nevara was talking about? It says that during one of the cycles of the phoenix warrior, the boy phoenix warrior will be incredibly powerful. But, that power will stay inside him until something triggers it to come out."

"The death of the female." Jesse realised.

"Exactly. But female phoenix is alive and kicking, so why his powers changed is beyond me."

"Miranda saved me from dying, but in Aster's dream, I really did die. Maybe...maybe Miranda somehow faked my death in order for Aster's powers to get stronger. She is his mom after all."

"That's possible." Hassleberry agreed. "Anyway, when the female dies, the power inside the male grows, gradually getting stronger, and granting the host new abilities. Not only that, but their original powers are a lot stronger, and they gain the powers of the female too."

"No way!" Aster gasped. He looked at his right hand.

_So that's why I was able to heal Dad._ He thought_. And now that I think about it, the_ human _body is made up of mainly water. That explains how I could control Magdala._

"There's more." Hassleberry continued. "The host gains the powers of the female, and they too are stronger than hers. But, there is another force inside them that's stronger than their powers combined. It's this force that causes the phoenix warrior to gain new and enhanced abilities. That force is the phoenix fire. And that force is what's inside Aster"

"So...Aster is definitely linked to the phoenix fire." Aiko shook her head. "No. He's more than linked. He has it."

"So wait a sec..." Aster started. "I'm the keeper of the phoenix fire?" Hassleberry nodded.

"Yeah. You are. But there's something else too. If anyone other than Aster has the phoenix fire, they have the same powers as him, and if it's stolen from him, Aster will be completely powerless. He'll be normal just like us."

"So that's why Miranda wants him." Daisy said.

"And..." Hassleberry continued. "You're not gonna like this Daisy, but Miranda's kidnapping of you and the possession of Aster was all just a test to see if he really is the destined guardian." Daisy was silent, shocked.

"What?" She eventually said. "You mean I went through all that pain...all that torture...and you guys got yourselves all beat up to rescue me..." She clenched her fists. "And you're telling me it was all a game?!" She kicked over a table.

"Easy." Hiruko tried to grab Daisy's arm.

"Get off me!" She forced Hiruko off her arm, and he fell onto the floor and hit his head on the knocked over table. Daisy's eyes widened as she saw Hiruko clutching his head. She looked at her hands. Daisy dropped down next to Hiruko, and pulled him into a hug. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." She whispered.

"Sorry you had to hear that, Daisy. I was pretty pissed off when I heard it too. But, that's the way it is.

"I have the phoenix fire..." Aster repeated. "This is too much to absorb all at once."

"Is there anything else you know about the phoenix fire?" James asked. Hassleberry shook his head.

"Sorry, but I've told you all I know."

"What about me?" Haru asked. "Why am I being hunted down too?"

"There's this rare ability in some stone wielders. It's undetectable until it awakens inside them when they're in a state of emotional turmoil. It really dangerous, and that's why Miranda ordered all her followers to find and kill the stone wielders. And since you're the last one, they're not taking any chances to wait and see if you have this ability or not."

"What ability?" Aiko asked.

"I don't know."

"I don't know either." Haru shook his head. "The whole thing is beyond me." There was a long silence in the room, except for cars zooming on the road in the dark night.

"We should all rest up for tonight. I imagine you're all as shocked as I am; especially Aster, Daisy and Haru." James said, breaking the silence.

"Damn right." Aster muttered.

"I'm with the old man." Hiruko agreed.

"I just want this day to end." Daisy said. Everyone left to go to their rooms, Aster, Daisy and Hannah entering their rooms in the flat, and the rest of them going through the bookcase.

"Hassleberry." James started.

"Yeah?" Hassleberry turned to look at James.

"Thank you for all you've told us. It was very useful, and I am truly grateful."

"Sure. No problem." Hassleberry shrugged.

"Where did you find all this out?" Hassleberry's eyes widened.

"I er...I...I overheard it." He lied. "I was separated from the platoon, and there were a few Juusenshi talking about Aster and Haru, so I eavesdropped. That's all."

"Alright." James nodded and smiled. "Now get to bed, alright? You're probably exhausted."

_Thanks, Cat_. Hassleberry thought. _I owe ya one._

...

"You don't mind sharing with me for a while, do you?" Jaden asked as he walked into his large bedroom. Hiruko followed Jaden inside, closing the door behind him.

"Are you kidding me?! This is awesome!" Hiruko exclaimed. He ran over to the bed and began bouncing on it. "I mean, you're the only one who wanted me to join your group."

"Don't forget Chloe. I think she's got a little crush on you." Jaden teased.

"Sh-shut up!" Hiruko yelled, turning red in the face. Jaden laughed.

"I'm glad you're okay."

"What do you mean?" Hiruko asked, confused. He stopped bouncing on the bed.

"You panicked." Hiruko still looked blank. "You'll wake the baby?"

"Oh...that." Hiruko jumped onto the floor.

"What's wrong?" Jaden asked. "Shouldn't I have brought that up?" Hiruko turned away.

"You know...I had a baby brother." Hiruko said. "But he died."

"That's awful."

"No."

"Huh?" Jaden blinked.

"He didn't die." Hiruko clenched his fists. "He was killed...by my mother."

"What?!" Jaden gasped.

"It turns out she was suffering from some sort of...post pan... post port..."

"Postpartum depression?" Jaden suggested.

"Yeah that." Hiruko nodded. "But...this was more severe than the average baby blues. The doctor said it was some kind of psychosis that is very rare. I was only nine when it happened, so I didn't get it. But one thing I couldn't forget...is that the mother me and Mariko know and love tried to kill us." Hiruko closed his eyes tightly. "She was about to kill Mariko, so I had to save her. But I...I..."

"Hiruko..." Jaden started, making his way towards him.

"I killed mom!" Hiruko yelled. Jaden's eyes widened.

"You...killed her?" Jaden repeated.

"Yeah. I killed her. I found my dad's hand gun, and I shot her in the head. I had to. She was going to kill us." Jaden placed a hand on Hiruko's head, surprising him.

"You don't have to tell m if you don't want to."

"Nah. It's okay. You have a right to know." Hiruko climbed onto the bed again and sat down on it, Jaden doing the same. "It all started three months after Jake was born..."

**Well, there you have it! Now you know about the phoenix fire. And in the next chapter, Hiruko tells us about his past, and how he joined the Juusenshi. Stay tuned, lovely readers!**


	20. Chapter 20: It's Not My Fault!

**Man, I'm on a roll! I've been updating like there's no freakin' tomorrow! And, as a bonus, I'm doing my A level stuff too! Anyways, here is Hiruko's past!**

Chapter 20

It's Not My Fault!

3 years ago

_Clang!_

An empty soda can fell onto the ground off a tree stump. A nine year old Hiruko gave a smug smirk, spinning the elastic of his slingshot above his head.

"See? What did I tell ya, Mariko? Best shot in the town." Mariko applauded.

"Well done, big brother! I wish I could do that."

"Nah. This is a big boy's toy." Hiruko stuck the slingshot in his back pocket and picked up a blue bike, which was on the ground. "C'mon. We're gonna be late for dinner."

"Don't change the subject." Mariko picked up her pink bicycle. "I'm the same age as you."

"But I was born twenty minutes before you, so that makes me the boss."

"No fair."

"Race you home!" Hiruko climbed onto his bike and took off into the forest.

"Hey, you got a head start! Wait for me!" Mariko took off after Hiruko, trying desperately to keep up with him, with no luck.

"You're not allowed to wait in a race!" Hiruko yelled.

"Says who?"

"Says me!"

"Slow down!"

"This is my slow speed! You're just a slow poke!"

"You liar!"

"Nyah!" Hiruko stick his tongue out at Mariko.

"Watch this!" Mariko sped up, and she overtook Hiruko.

"Hey, hey! Wait up!" Hiruko and Mariko left the forest, and were cycling through a town, weaving around parked cars and other obstacles that got in the way, including a cat and a fire hydrant, while yelling at each other. They eventually left the town and turned off the road into a dirt covered driveway, creating dust as they went.

"WOOOOOOO HOOOOOOO!!!" Hiruko shouted. "This is awesome!" Soon, Hiruko and Mariko were neck and neck.

"Tell me, Mariko. Are you hungry?"

"Starving. Why?"

"Because you're about to eat my dust!" Hiruko sped up again, and he jumped off the still moving bicycle when he arrived at a three story house.

"And Hiruko is the winner! The crowd goes wild!" Hiruko spun around on the spot, waving his arms in the air while Mariko parked her bike next to a rusty white van.

"No...fair...big...brother..." Mariko gasped, out of breath. "You're...not...even...tired."

"That proves that I'm better than you." Mariko folded her arms and pouted. Hiruko smiled and patted Mariko on her head.

"It's getting dark. We'd better get inside." Mariko held Hiruko's hand.

"Okay." The twins walked over to the house, still holding hands.

"We're home." Hiruko said as he entered the house.

"Shhh." Hiruko looked up at the stairs. A woman with wavy black hair walked down the stairs slowly. "I just got the baby asleep. Keep the noise down."

"Sorry mom." Mariko peeped at the woman behind Hiruko.

"Hi mommy. What's for dinner?"

"It's you and your brother's favourite; fried chicken." She said, forcing a smile.

"Yay!" Mariko said as quietly as she could. The woman walked slowly into the kitchen. Hiruko felt Mariko's grip on his hand tighten.

"What's wrong with mommy, big brother?" She asked. "She seems different."

"She'll be fine, sis." Hiruko answered, giving Mariko's hand a reassuring squeeze. "Don't worry."

"Hey kids!" A man with messy blonde hair hugged Hiruko and Mariko with one arm each. "How are my favourite twins?"

"Hi daddy." Mariko said.

"We're fine." Hiruko muttered. The man pulled away.

"Is something wrong Hiruko?" Hiruko turned away for a moment before turning back to his father.

"Dad...what's wrong with mom?" He asked.

"Nothing's wrong with your mother, sport." The man answered. "She's just...tired. That's all. Looking after a baby is a full time job, you know."

"But she always looks sad." The father placed his hands on Hiruko's shoulders.

"Hiruko, my boy...how should I put this? Sometimes, when a mommy has a baby, they get really sad. But, they get over it, and so will your mother. Susan's a lot tougher than she looks." He ruffled Hiruko and Mariko's blonde hair. "Ah, you kids! I'm so glad you're worried about your mother."

"Will! I need your help in the kitchen!"

"Oops. Gotta go." Will walked into the kitchen. "Dinner's in ten." He called before shutting the door.

"Mommy's sad?" Mariko looked at her older brother.

"Yeah." Hiruko said quietly. "But she'll get better. I promise."

"Big brother... I'm gonna draw a picture for mommy. It'll have all of us in it. You, me, daddy, mommy and little brother Jake. Do you think she'll like it?"

"Sure. She'll love it."

...

"Mommy?" Mariko started, whilst the whole family were sat around a table in the kitchen for dinner, Susan spoon feeding Jake in his highchair.

"What is it, sweetheart?" Mariko fiddled with a strand of her blonde hair nervously.

"I...I drew this for you." Mariko handed Susan a piece of paper. On it was a childish drawing of four people, the taller woman holding a baby in her arms, and they all had big smiles on their faces and were standing outside a house. There were crayon scribbles of names underneath each person. Susan took the drawing from Mariko and stared at it.

"How sweet. You included everyone." She muttered. "You two are even holding hands. That's so cute."

"I wanted to cheer you up, mommy. I hope you like it." Susan said nothing, still staring at the picture. "Mommy?" Hiruko felt Mariko squeeze his hand underneath the table. "Don't you like it?"

"Huh? Oh, it's lovely sweetheart. The perfect pick-me-up." She stood up and placed it on the fridge, keeping the drawing in place with a magnet. "I'm so lucky to have a family like this." Mariko smiled, and the grip on Hiruko's hand loosened.

"Everyone." Will started. "I'm heading off for work tomorrow."

"Again?" Hiruko whined. "But you said you'd watch the game with me."

"Sorry, but duty calls."

"..." Hiruko turned away and pushed a lump of cauliflower around his plate with his fork.

"Don't play with your food, Hiruko." Susan said as she sat back down.

"Jake gets away with it." Hiruko muttered. Sure enough, Jake pushed his small bowl of mashed up food onto the floor.

"Jake's a baby." Susan stood up and began to clear up the mess.

"Yeah, yeah. I know. Sorry."

"I really was looking forward to watching the game with you, but it's my job that's putting food on the table." Will smiled. "Tell you what. I'll be back as soon as I can, and when that happens, I'll take you and Mariko to the ice cream parlour."

"Really?!" Hiruko beamed.

"Really."

"Yay!" Mariko cheered. "I want strawberries on mine."

"I want chocolate!" Hiruko declared.

"Easy now!" Will laughed. Susan ignored the commotion, still scrubbing at the food on the floor. Her eyes widened, and she scrubbed even harder.

"Mom...the floor's clean now. You can stop." Hiruko said, worried.

"It's not clean..." Susan muttered, scrubbing even harder. "It's still red."

"Red?" Will stood up. "But the food was green."

"It's still there. Why won't it go away?"

"Mom!" Hiruko got onto one knee by his mother. "Stop it! You're scaring me." Susan stopped scrubbing, her eyes wide and her hand trembling.

"Hiruko...don't you see it?" She asked. "Can't you see the blood?"

"Blood?" Hiruko's eyes widened.

"Yes." Susan pointed a shaking finger at the floor. "Right there. Can you see it?" Hiruko hesitated.

"Yeah. I can see it. But look..." Hiruko touched the spot Susan pointed at. "It's coming off." He took the sponge off Susan and scrubbed at the floor for a few seconds. "See. All gone." Hiruko forced a cheerful smile.

"Blood...on my kitchen floor." She muttered.

"Maybe you should go to bed." Hiruko suggested. Susan stood up and was about to remove Jake from his highchair, but Hiruko stood in front of her.

"I'll take Jake. You go to bed."

"Yes...to bed...bed..." She left the kitchen and walked up the stairs slowly, muttering "bed" over and over again. Mariko, Jake, Hiruko and Will were all silent.

"Phew." Will sighed. "I was worried things were going to get violent." Mariko stood up and clung to Hiruko's arm.

"Big brother..." She whispered. Hiruko patted her on the head.

"It's alright." Hiruko reassured. Will placed a hand on Hiruko's head.

"You handled that well, son. You're growing up fast."

"Do you really have to leave tomorrow, dad?" Hiruko asked. "What if mom has a moment like that again?"

"I have to go, sport. I wish I could stay. I really do. But this job is important." Will's hand left Hiruko's head. "I'm leaving things up to you now."

...

"Big brother?" Mariko started as Hiruko and Mariko lay in their beds in their bedroom in the attic. "Will mommy be okay? I mean, will she really be okay?"

"Yeah." Hiruko answered. "Things will be back to normal soon."

_Darn it. I'm lying through my teeth here._ Hiruko thought. Hiruko turned over onto his back and linked his hands behind his head, staring at the moon in the window.

"Big brother..." Mariko started. "I'm scared."

"..." Hiruko turned to face Mariko. He couldn't see her well in the dark, but he could tell her eyes were shining.

"Y'know, sis." Hiruko looked at the ceiling. "So am I."

"You're scared?" Mariko asked, surprised. "But you're not afraid of anything."

"Sometimes, a man has to talk tough when they're scared so that they look brave. This time, I just can't say anything like that."

"Do you think daddy lies like that, too?"

"Who knows?" Hiruko shrugged. There was a short silence.

"Big brother?" Mariko started.

"What is it?"

"Do you think mommy was sad like this when we were born? Did she see blood on the floor too?"

"How the heck am I supposed to know?" Hiruko sighed. "But if she was she got better, didn't she? So, she'll get better this time, too." Hiruko rolled over onto his side. "She has to." He said quietly.

"What did you say? I didn't catch that."

"Nothing. Forget it."

Next morning

"Mary, let's have a tea party." Mariko said, moving a doll in her hand up and down. "That sounds like fun." Mariko pretended another doll said something, and she made the two dolls walk around on the part of the sofa she was sitting on. Hiruko, meanwhile, was sitting cross legged on the floor, watching a football game on the television.

"I'm off kids." Will kissed Mariko on her head. "See you in a few days."

"Bye daddy." Will knelt down beside Hiruko.

"See you, son."

"Yeah, sure." Hiruko muttered, his eyes fixed on the television. Will ruffled his hair.

"You're the man of the house until I get back, so look after your little brother and sister, okay?"

"Okay." Will moved closer to Hiruko.

"Keep an eye on your mother too." Hiruko's eyes widened slightly. Will stood up, grabbed a jacket that was lying on the sofa, opened the back door and left. Mariko looked up from her dolls, watching her father leave.

"Will mommy start seeing things again, big brother?" She asked.

"Dunno."

"When I grow up, I'm not gonna have any children." Mariko declared, her eyes closed. Hiruko turned to look at her. "Then I won't hallucinate." Hiruko smiled.

"I don't think your husband the prince will like that." Hiruko teased. "He's got to have an heir to the throne after he dies."

"I'll negotiate with him." She picked up one of her dolls. "Won't I?"

"Kids, keep it down." Susan said, walking into the living room. "I've got a terrible headache."

"Sorry, mommy." Mariko carried on playing with her dolls, while Hiruko turned his attention back to the television.

"I went to the store this morning." Susan started. "And I bumped into Kathy. Apparently, she and her family are going on a Caribbean cruise."

"Is that so?" Hiruko muttered. His eyes widened.

_Wait a minute..._ He thought. _I saw Kathy this morning when mom went shopping. She said nothing about going away on vacation, and I'm pretty sure Kathy would boast about it like there was no tomorrow._ Hiruko looked at Susan, who was staring into space. _She's getting delusional._

"Oh, if only I went on a cruise like Kathy."

"Actually..." Hiruko started.

_No...What am I doing? If I say she's wrong, she might lash out._

"What is it?"

"Well er...I...um..." Hiruko spotted a newspaper on the carpet, and there was an advert about a cruise. "There's a special offer in the newspaper!" He held the newspaper up. "See? It's for a family of five. We're a family of five. You and dad should look into it. I think we could all use a summer break right now. I mean, we may have only just started summer vacation, but if we stay home, it'll be gone before we know it."

"Oh." Susan said. "I suppose your father and I should discuss going away. Heck, maybe we'll accidentally be on the same cruise ship as Kathy, eh?"

"Mommy, Kathy-"Mariko started, but Hiruko quickly shook his head at her. "Nothing. Never mind."

_Mom's getting worse. If this keeps up, who knows when she's going to snap._ Susan stared at the baby monitor on the table. She saw that the volume mater was rising and falling with the baby's cries, but she didn't say or do anything. She couldn't even hear it. She kept hearing voices whispering in her head. They whispered different thoughts and feelings, and it made her head hurt. However, there was one word that stood out the most.

_Kill them!_

"Mommy?"

Susan gasped. Mariko was stood in front of her, worried.

"Little brother's crying." Susan looked at the baby monitor. Sure enough, she could hear the baby's cries. Without a word, she stood up and left the room.

"Couldn't she hear little brother?" Mariko wondered.

"Listen, Mariko." Hiruko started, standing up. "I'm not sure if mom's going to get better, and she might start behaving really weirdly. When that happens, you've got to be brave and do as I say, okay?"

"Okay. But why are you telling me this?"

"Huh?" Hiruko blinked. "Oh, no reason. I just wanted to see if you'd know what to do if the house caught on fire or something." Hiruko laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head.

"But you asked me about mommy." Hiruko opened his eyes. "You said she won't get better, but you also said she will get better." Mariko clenched her skirt. "Have you been lying, big brother?"

"No. I honestly thought that mom will be okay..." Meanwhile, in the baby's bedroom, Susan could hear the entire conversation in the baby monitor. "...but now, I'm not sure. She's getting delusional; I know Kathy isn't going on a holiday. She can't afford to go to the beach let alone a cruise."

"Oh...what's going to happen to mommy?"

"I don't know. But, if she snaps, stay with me, and don't trust anything mom says."

2 days later

"Got your doll!" Hiruko ran around the dining table in the kitchen clutching a doll's arm.

"Give her back, big brother!" Mariko ran into the kitchen. The twins were then chasing each other around the table, ignoring Jake protesting in his highchair, and Susan cutting some vegetables and placing them in a glass bowl.

"Settle down you two." Susan said, placing the last of the vegetables in the bowl.

"C'mon, sis. You know you're not allowed dolls on the table." Hiruko said, sitting down. He waved the doll at Mariko. "So, until we're finished, this thing is mine."

"No she's not!" Mariko sat down next to Hiruko, pulling at the doll's other arm.

"You'll tear her!" Hiruko pulled on the doll.

"No, you'll tear her!" Mariko pulled back, until the two of them were having a tug of war. Jake's protests were getting louder and louder. Susan clenched the glass bowl, her hand trembling. The voices were back in her head, making her grip the bowl even harder.

"QUIET!!" She screamed, spinning round and slamming the bowl onto the floor, smashing it. Hiruko and Mariko stopped bickering, and Hiruko let go of the doll. Jake started crying loudly, and the suddenly calm Susan picked him up and carried him upstairs, leaving the twins alone.

"I'm going to apologise." Mariko started to get up, put Hiruko placed a hand on her shoulder, stopping her.

"No. Wait until she gets back." So the two of them waited in the silent kitchen. Several minutes past, and nothing happened. "Maybe we should clean this mess up. Mariko, you get the food, and I'll take care of the glass." The twins cleared up the vegetables, now in another bowl, placed them on the table, and sat back down again. Several more minutes passed, and there was still no sign of Susan and Jake.

"Geez, does it take this long to change a diaper?!" Hiruko exclaimed. Mariko gripped his hand.

"Big brother...do you think mommy's..." Mariko turned away, unable to finish her sentence.

"C'mon, we're going to check." Hiruko and Mariko left the kitchen, still holding hands. They travelled up the stairs together slowly and quietly.

"Mommy?" Mariko said quietly when they got to the top. She clung to Hiruko.

"Mom, dinner's getting cold." Hiruko called out. Silence. "Mom?" Hiruko saw the main bedroom's door slightly open. He gave it a small push. It opened a little further with a loud creak. "Mom?" Still nothing.

"Big brother I'm scared." Mariko whispered.

"Shhh." Hiruko walked into the bedroom. "You in here, mom?" Suddenly, he heard footsteps hurry down the stairs.

"Is that mommy?" Mariko asked.

"Stay close, Mariko." Hiruko stepped into the shadows behind the door, and waited. Suddenly, the lights went out.

_A power cut?_ Hiruko thought.

"Big brother..." Mariko's grip on his hand became tighter.

"It's alright." The footsteps came again, and went directly past their door. Silence.

"Come on." Hiruko said several minutes later, and left the bedroom, Mariko following nervously. "I think she's in Jake's room." Hiruko slowly opened the door to Jake's room. It was dark, except for the light of the moon through the window. "Mom?" Hiruko went deeper into the bedroom.

"Mommy?" Mariko let go of her brother's hand and wandered around the room. Her eyes widened. "Big brother. I've found little brother."

"You have? Where?" Mariko pointed at the top of the changing table. Jake was wrapped in a red blanket and lying very still. Hiruko walked over to Jake, moving Mariko back gently. His hand went to the baby's face, but as soon as his fingertips touched Jake, his hand quickly moved away.

"Mom, there's something wrong with Jake." Hiruko said, trying extremely hard not to panic.

"Big brother...what's wrong with little brother Jake?"

"Mariko...he's cold." Hiruko muttered. "Mom! Where are you?" He shouted.

"Big brother?" Mariko pointed at the corner of the room. Hiruko spun around. Susan was sat in the corner of the room, clutching her head.

"Stay here Mariko." Mariko nodded. Hiruko walked slowly towards Susan. "Mom? Mom, are you okay?" He asked, kneeling down beside her.

"Shh." She hissed, jerking her head up suddenly, surprising Hiruko. "Be quiet, sweetheart. You'll wake the baby."

"Mom..." Hiruko started, trying to keep calm. "Something is wrong with Jake. He's cold. He's not breathing." Mariko peered closely at Jake's blanket. She held the corner of it.

_It's sticky..._She thought.

"We have to call an ambulance."

"No."

"What?" Susan stood up, Hiruko doing the same. It was then that he noticed the front of her white nightdress was covered with blood, as well as her hands and parts of her face. Meanwhile, Mariko was gradually peeling away the blanket around Jake.

"Mom! Are you okay? You're covered with blood." Hiruko asked frantically. The blanket came away from Jake, and Mariko's eyes widened.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!" She screamed.

"Mariko!" Hiruko ran over to Mariko, who was trembling. "What is it, Mariko? Say something!" Mariko pointed a shaking finger at Jake. Hiruko looked, and he gasped. Jake was completely covered with blood and several stab wounds, and the blanket was red with his blood. Hiruko's eyes shone with fear, and we walked back slowly away from Jake.

_He...he was murdered! Who could have done such a thing?!_

"Hiruko." Hiruko turned back around to face Susan. "I thought I told you to keep quiet." Hiruko spotted a gleam of metal in Susan's hand. "Or you'll wake Jake up."

_She's got a knife!_ Hiruko thought.

"Mom." Hiruko started, his voice shaking. "Did you...did you kill Jake?"

"I didn't mean to...I really didn't." Susan took a step forward, causing Hiruko to take a step back.

"Big brother..." Mariko whimpered, squeezing his hand.

"Come on, kids. I'm not gonna hurt you." Susan said calmly, still walking closer to the twins, who took a step back towards the door each time she walked towards them. "Just go to bed, and we can talk about this in the morning. It's past your bedtime."

"Mariko...get ready to run." Hiruko whispered. Mariko nodded.

"Get to bed you two, or I won't tell your favourite bedtime story." Susan narrowed her eyes. "Go to bed!" She yelled, raising her knife.

"Run!" Hiruko ducked just as the knife was jammed into the wall near where he previously stood. Holding Mariko's hand, Hiruko ran out of the room, down the stairs and left the house through the front door.

"Get back here!" Susan ran out the house, following them through the darkness of the night. Hiruko leapt over a hedge and into a field with grass longer than him, and he ran inside it. He ran deeper and deeper into the grass, but he could still hear Susan cutting through the grass with her knife. He eventually got to the end of the long grass, and he spotted an old barn ahead.

"This way!" Hiruko yelled at Mariko, and they both ran towards the barn. Hiruko slammed the doors open with his shoulder and ran inside, Mariko following. He checked to see if Susan was near, and slammed the doors shut, barring them shut with a plank of wood. There was a silence in the barn, except for Hiruko and Mariko trying to get their breath back. Mariko started sobbing. Hiruko knelt beside her.

"Why did mommy kill little brother?!" Mariko wailed. Hiruko pulled her into a hug, trying to comfort her.

"I don't know." Hiruko muttered. "But we've got to stay alive until we can figure out how to get away from here."

"Big brother I'm scared!"

"I know...I know...I'm scared too. But I've got to be brave so I can protect you. You've got to be brave too, remember?" He felt Mariko nod.

"Yeah. I remember." She sniffed. Hiruko pulled her away.

"Okay. C'mon." Hiruko walked a little deeper into the barn, Mariko trailing behind. He saw plenty of piles of hay. "Get into some hay, and don't make a sound." Mariko hurried into some hay, Hiruko crawling into a different pile. Suddenly there was a banging at the doors, until they eventually crashed open, Susan standing in the doorway. She walked into the barn.

"Hiruko! Mariko! You in here?" She called out. Hiruko and Mariko said nothing, staring at Susan through the hay. "I'm sorry. I really am. Please forgive me." Hiruko could hear Susan sobbing. He saw Susan wander near where they were hiding.

"I guess we'll have to do this the hard way." Hiruko saw Susan grab a pitchfork lying on the floor. She walked further into the barn, towards some piles of hay. "Children, it's time for some nursery rhymes. Remember the one about the piggies?" Hiruko said nothing.

"This little piggy went to market." Susan stabbed a pile of hay with her fork. "This little piggy stayed at home." She stabbed another pile. "This little piggy had roast beef." She stabbed the hay, gradually getting closer to Mariko. Susan saw some hay move near Mariko. She shook her head sadly.

_Mariko!_ Hiruko thought.

"And this little piggy had none." Susan said, sobbing. She stabbed the hay, and a squeal was heard.

"No!" Hiruko yelled, running out from his hiding place. Susan turned to look at Hiruko. She removed her fork from the hay, the tips covered with blood.

"Big brother!" Mariko ran past Susan and went to Hiruko's side.

"Are you okay?" Hiruko asked, hugging her.

"Uh huh." Mariko nodded. Hiruko looked at the body Susan had killed. It was a pig, bleeding from four holes in its belly.

"There you are." Susan whispered.

"Stay away from us!" Hiruko yelled, standing back. Susan appeared surprised.

"You know I'd never hurt you..."

"Then why did you kill Jake and try to kill Mariko, huh?!" Hiruko demanded.

"What's all the ruckus in here?" Susan turned to the sound of the voice. There was a farmer standing in the doorway. "Oh, it's only you Susan. Sorry 'bout that." He apologised, walking towards them.

"Stay away!" Hiruko yelled. Susan stared at him. When he got closer, she grabbed him around the neck and forced him to kneel onto the ground.

"I never got to finish that nursery rhyme did I?" Susan muttered, an evil glint in her eye.

"Don't look Mariko." Hiruko said, knowing what was coming up. Susan raised her knife hand.

"And this little piggy went..." She lowered the knife into his chest. "Wee...wee...wee..." She grunted, thrusting the knife into the farmer with each word.

"Stop it!" Hiruko begged.

"All...the...way...home!" She dropped the dead farmer onto the ground. Mariko's grip on a trembling Hiruko tightened. Susan stared at the dead body before she looked up at Hiruko.

"Now look what you made me do." She said.

"Monster..." Hiruko muttered. "Monster,"

"Hiruko..." Susan made her way towards the twins. Hiruko turned and, holding Mariko's hand, rushed past Susan and out of the barn. Susan stared after them.

"Go ahead, sweetheart..." She narrowed her eyes. "We've got all night."

...

Hiruko crashed through the front door of their house and dashed inside with Mariko. He slammed it shut and jammed a chair in front of it.

"She's a monster..." Hiruko muttered.

"Big brother?" Mariko started. "What are we going to do now?"

"I don't know, Mariko." Hiruko shook his head. He looked up, and spotted the white power box beside the door. The door was wide open, and several wires were cut.

_So mom cut the power._ Hiruko thought.

"We need to call daddy." Mariko said, picking up the phone.

"You're wasting your time, sis. Mom cut the power." Hiruko picked up a white baby monitor. "Listen, I've got an idea."

_Wham!_

"Eek!" Mariko squealed.

"C'mon!" Hiruko led Mariko into another room and closed the door. At that moment, the chair fell down and the front door creaked open, Susan standing in the doorway. She walked in slowly.

"Children," She called, wandering round the house. "Are you ready for bed yet? Hiruko, maybe you could help Jake get ready, too. Don't forget to wash your hands afterwards." She looked at her shaking blood covered hands. "Wash your hands...wash your hands..." She sobbed. Footsteps were heard behind her. She spun around, knife raised. No-one was there. "Hiruko? Mariko?"

"Go away!" She heard Hiruko say. "You murderer!"

"Sweetheart...I'm scared..." She sobbed.

"You think you're scared?! You're trying to kill us here!"

"I'm sorry... I really am."

"We didn't do anything wrong. Just leave us alone." Susan narrowed her eyes.

"I know." She slammed her knife into the wall, and she began to walk again, dragging the knife along and creating a line in the wallpaper. "You two aren't bad kids. But do you know the story of Hansel and Gretal? Now they were bad children. They lied to their parents, and they ate the gingerbread house of the witch. And she captured those little brats, but do you know how it ended?" Silence. Susan kept silent and stopped walking, listening for any sound.

"Yeah...I remember." Her eyes widened. She dashed to a door and flung it open, knife raised. But, on the floor of the room, there was a baby monitor.

"The witch got cooked alive." The baby monitor said. Susan spun around. Hiruko was standing in the doorway of another room, tossing a baby monitor in his hand. She growled and charged towards him.

"Now Mariko!" Her eyes widened. Suddenly, Mariko ran into her side, causing her to stumble, but before she could recover, Hiruko and Mariko pushed her, and Susan fell into an open door that leads to the basement. As she fell screaming down the stairs, Hiruko shut the door and dragged a table in front of it, weighing it down with a stone statue of a cat. He stood back with his hands on his hips. "Let's see her get out of that." He said triumphantly.

"Big brother...did I do well? Was I brave?" Hiruko patted her on her head.

"Yeah...you were great." Mariko smiled. "Head upstairs. I've gotta sort something out down here."

"Okay." Mariko rushed up the stairs and past the other rooms. She paused for a moment and looked into Jake's bedroom at his corpse. She turned away, her eyes closed tightly. Mariko opened her eyes and looked at the ceiling. There was a trap door on the ceiling. She grabbed a wooden pole that was leaning against the wall and poked the trap door with it, opening the door into the attic. Hiruko came up the stairs.

"Yeah. Great idea, sis. Here, let me do that." He took the pole out of Mariko's hands and, using the hook end of it, pulled a wooden ladder out to their level. "You go first." Mariko climbed up the ladder, Hiruko following closely behind. As soon as they were up, Hiruko pulled the ladder back up and closed the trap door. Mariko crawled over to the wall and pulled her knees up to her chest.

"Will mommy find us here?" She asked.

"Probably. This is our bedroom. It'll be the first place she'll look." Hiruko answered, pushing their toy box onto the door. He paused for a moment. "Nah. Not heavy enough. Mariko, give me a hand here."

"R...right." Mariko stood up and another toy box onto the door. The twins stared at the door.

"Should we move our beds onto it?" Mariko asked.

"No, we wouldn't be able to handle it. It's heavy, I'll give you that, but we're only nine. We can't lift that."

"You're stronger than me though."

"Well, I'm not exactly Superman." Hiruko joked half heartedly.

"Should we go to bed?" Mariko asked.

"No. We've got to try and stay awake. Mom might kill us in our sleep if we're not careful." Mariko flinched. "But I won't let that happen." Hiruko claimed with a boastful smile. "Hey, let's go in the wardrobe." Hiruko opened the shutters in their wardrobe and beckoned Mariko inside. They closed the doors and crawled as far back as it would go and sat with their backs against the wall.

"This floor's uncomfortable." Mariko complained, shifting around on the shoes.

"Ow!" Hiruko pulled out a ballet pump with a small kitten heel. "Trust mom to get you heels on your eighth birthday." He dropped it back on the ground. After a few seconds, Hiruko and Mariko stifled giggles behind their hands. "We're staring death in the face and here we are complaining about shoes under our butts." They both calmed down after a few seconds. Several minutes passed by in silence.

"Big brother?"

"What is it?" Mariko hesitated.

"We're all going to be okay, aren't we?"

"..." Hiruko stared at Mariko.

"I know it's too late for Jake, but what about you and me and daddy and mommy? Will we be happy again like we used to be?" Hiruko gazed at the floor.

"Maybe..." He shrugged. "Who knows? But, even if something does happen to mom, we'll still find a way to be happy." Hiruko placed a fist over his heart. "I promise as a man." Mariko smiled and nodded.

"Okay...thank you, big brother." Suddenly, there was a loud thump. The twins cried out in surprise, and they clung to each other. "It's mommy!"

"She got out of the basement already? But that statue I placed on the table is the heaviest thing I know." Hiruko stood up. "Stand up Mariko. Hide behind the clothes and don't move a muscle. Maybe mom might look in here and think it's only filled with shoes." Mariko obeyed, just as the trap door slammed open, scattering toys all over the floor as the toy boxes were flung open. There was a creak as the ladder was pulled down, and the steps creaked as somebody walked up them.

"Children? Are you in here?" Susan asked. She stared around the room. "Are you scared Hiruko? Maybe there are monsters under the bed?!" She forced up a mattress and stared through the wire mesh. All that was under the bed was a teddy bear and a red yoyo. She dropped the mattress again. Her eyes fell on the wardrobe. She smirked. "Or maybe it's the closet monsters?!" She dropped her knife on the floor and flung the doors open. The twins somehow managed to suppress their gasps. Susan scanned the wardrobe, and Hiruko and Mariko didn't dare breathe or even blink for fear of making a noise. Susan sniffed.

"My my, Hiruko and Mariko. You sure are brave." Her hands tightened on the doors. "But..." She let go of the shutters and her hands reached inside "...I wasn't born yesterday!" Her hands grabbed a fistful of blonde hair each on the top of Hiruko's and Mariko's blonde heads, causing them both to cry out. Susan smiled.

"There you are." She hissed. She pulled both of the twins out and threw them onto the floor. Hiruko sat up on one knee and moved his arms up in front of his crying sister. Susan picked up her knife and turned to face them. "I take back what I said. You two have been very naughty, pushing mommy down the stairs like that. And naughty children must be punished."

"Go away!" Hiruko yelled. Susan narrowed her eyes.

"Out of the way!" She punched Hiruko across his face with such force, he fell onto the floor away from Mariko. He sat up shakily, a red bruise on the side of his face, as Susan advanced on Mariko. Susan raised her knife into the air. Mariko's hands went to her head and she screamed, just as the knife was brought down. Hiruko dashed in front of Mariko, and the knife scratched him across his right shoulder. Hiruko dropped onto one knee, clutching the injury.

"Big brother!" Mariko cried.

"Shut up!" Susan kicked Mariko across the room. Mariko sat up and crawled backwards away from Susan, until she was backed up into the corner. Mariko gasped as she came into contact with the wall.

"I'm sorry Mariko." Susan apologised, making her way towards Mariko, who had tears falling down her face. Susan licked some of the blood off her knife. "But you've been naughty and must be punished."

"Stop!" Susan turned around and saw Hiruko standing away from both of them, clutching a gun in his shaking hands.

"Leave my sister alone." Hiruko demanded, his voice shaking. Susan smiled.

"That's so cute. You're playing cowboys just like you used to."

_Bang!_

Susan's eyes widened. A bullet hole appeared in the wall, just inches from her head.

"This isn't a toy. Now drop the knife and step away from Mariko." Hiruko said as firmly as he could. Susan slowly shook her head.

"I looked after you two since you were born. I kissed your grazes better. I gave you food. A home. Clothes to wear. I would have given my life for you..." Tears appeared in her eyes. "And this is how you repay me?" Susan clenched the handle of the knife so hard her hand bled. "Playing with daddy's things and trying to kill me? You've been very naughty young man." She walked quickly towards Hiruko. His eyes widened. "Get ready to be punished!"

"GAH!" Hiruko yelled. Closing his eyes tightly, he turned away and fired the gun again.

_Bang!_

What happened next seemed to be in slow motion for Hiruko. He opened his eyes and looked up. He gasped. Susan has stopped walking and was standing extremely still with a look of surprise on her face, a hole in her forehead. She began to fall forward, unshed tears falling from her eyes, while Hiruko and Mariko stared on in shock. Eventually, Susan hit the floor. She was dead. Hiruko dropped the gun and fell to his knees, shaking and wide eyed.

"Mommy?" Mariko whispered, crawling over to her side. "Big brother? Is mommy dead?" Mariko asked. Hiruko didn't say anything. All he could think about was the look on Susan's face as she fell down.

"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!"

...

In the light of the sunrise, there were multiple numbers of police cars and an ambulance, their siren lights flashing. Hiruko sat on the edge of the ambulance while a medic wrapped his wound up in bandages around his right shoulder and chest. Mariko sat beside him, a white blanket wrapped around her shoulders.

"You poor children." The medic said. "You must have been terrified." Mariko nodded.

"Thank you for helping us." The medic laughed.

"You shouldn't be thanking me. You should be thanking your big brother for protecting you." He tied the bandage in place and his face became serious. "But...I can't imagine what it would've done to his mind." Hiruko looked up and pulled his shirt and hoodie back on.

"Thank you." He muttered and jumped off the ambulance, Mariko trotting behind him.

"Hiruko!" A policeman ran up to him, placing another white blanket around his shoulders. "Where is your mother? Is she alright?"

"She's inside the house." Hiruko answered, not looking at the man. "You'll find her in the attic. And she won't be alright. She's dead."

"Wha..." Hiruko walked past him. "Hey, wait!" Hiruko stopped walking. "How do you know that for sure?"

"Because I shot her through her head!" Hiruko yelled, spinning around. "Is that want you want to hear?!" The policeman was silent, stunned at Hiruko outburst. Hiruko turned on his heel. "Come on, Mariko."

"Let me through!" Hiruko gasped, looking up. He saw a man burst through the policemen. "You have to let me pass! My children are in there!" The man leapt over the police barriers placed around the area.

"Dad..." Hiruko whispered. Will frantically scanned the crowd, and he stopped when he spotted Hiruko and Mariko. "Hiruko! Mariko!"

"Dad!"

"Daddy!" Hiruko and Mariko threw off their blankets and ran into their father's arms, bawling into his shirt.

"I'm so glad you're okay." Will whispered, stroking their hair. "It's alright now. I'm here."

"It's not alright!" Hiruko cried. "Mom's...mom's..." He hiccupped.

"Mommy's dead!" Mariko wailed.

"Listen to yourselves. You're still finishing each other's sentences." Will said half heartedly.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Hiruko apologised.

"What for?" Will asked, confused. Hiruko looked at Will, tears falling down his face.

"She tried to kill us. Mom tried to kill us. I thought we were going to die. I was so scared...so scared. She was going to kill Mariko...and then I got your gun...and then...and then..."

"Hiruko..."

"I killed her!" Hiruko yelled. Will's eyes widened. Hiruko buried his face into Will's shirt again, clenching the fabric tightly.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Will placed a hand on Hiruko's head, surprising him. Hiruko looked up at Will, who was smiling.

"I don't blame you. You don't have to apologise for anything. You did everything you could to protect Mariko, and you were scared, right?" Hiruko nodded. "And you didn't want to kill Susan, right?" Hiruko nodded again. "So it's not your fault. If anyone tries to punish you for killing her, I'll protect you. That's a promise."

"Dad..." Tears filled Hiruko's eyes again, and he went back to crying into Will's shirt.

Several minutes later

"Hiruko, are we correct in assuming that your mother tried to kill you?" A police officer asked. Mariko gripped Hiruko's hand. Hiruko nodded.

"Yeah."

"And that you killed her?" Hiruko nodded again. "I see." The police officer adjusted his hat. "In that case...I am arresting you on suspicion of murder." Hiruko's eyes widened.

"Officer, he's just a kid. And he had no intention of killing Susan. Just let him go, okay?" Will protested.

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid we can't allow that." He motioned for another police officer to arrest Hiruko. Will stood in front of Hiruko.

"Officer, how much does it cost for a bail?" He asked.

"That would be five hundred."

"You see that van over there?" Will pointed at a white van parked on the front of the house. "You can take that in payment for a bail for my son. It's worth six hundred; more than enough for the bail."

"Daddy, that's your favourite van. You don't have to sell it." Mariko protested.

"What do you say?" The police officer thought for a moment.

"Alright. You've got yourself a deal." Hiruko beamed.

"Thank you, dad." Hiruko hugged will around his waist. Will patted him on the head.

"No problem son." Will said, grinning.

A few weeks later

"Isn't that Hiruko?"

"Yeah, I think it is."

"I heard he killed his own mother."

"How cruel!"

"She was suffering from the baby blues. He didn't have to kill her."

"The father paid for bail."

"What?! If I were in his shoes, I would've locked that brat up without a second thought."

Hiruko clenched his fists as he, Will and Mariko walked through town together, enduring the gossiping whispers in the crowd.

"That child shouldn't be walking outside. He should be in a prison cell where he belongs." Hiruko clenched his teeth.

"IT'S NOT MY FAULT!" Hiruko shouted. The people were silent. "Let's go home already. I'm sick of this place." Hiruko stormed off down the street.

"Big brother, wait for me!" Mariko ran after Hiruko. Hiruko turned into a dark alleyway and stopped walking. "Big brother, why are you acting like this? It's such a nice afternoon; why do you have to spoil it?"

"Why didn't you do something?!" Hiruko snapped, spinning around to face an alarmed Mariko. "If you weren't such a baby and if you didn't keep clinging onto me, I wouldn't have had to kill mom and everything would have been fine!" There was a silence. Tears appeared in Mariko eyes, and she wiped them away with the back of her hands, crying quietly. Hiruko immediately felt guilty. He pulled Mariko into a hug.

"I'm sorry Mariko. It's just that...everyone's been blaming me for what's happened, and I guess I just had to take it out on someone." Mariko looked up, her eyes shining.

"Did you mean all those things you said? Do I really cling onto you that much? Was I that much of a burden?" Hiruko patted her head.

"Of course not." Will walked up to Hiruko.

"I think we should all go home, don't you?" He asked. Hiruko nodded.

"Yeah. I just wanna get outta here." Hiruko left the alleyway and entered the streets. His eyes widened. Everyone and everything that moved was standing still. "What the..." Hiruko peered at a man who was in mid walk. "Hellooooo..." Hiruko waved his hand in front of the man's eyes. No reaction. Hiruko placed his hands on his hips. "Huh...that's strange."

"Big brother!" Mariko cried. "Daddy's not moving!" Hiruko rushed back to his sister and father. Will was standing glued to the spot, not moving and not breathing.

"Dad! Dad!" Hiruko yelled. No response. "What the heck's going on here?!"

"I can answer that."

"What?" Suddenly, Hiruko and Mariko were blinded by a white light. When it disappeared, a woman wearing a white kimono decorated with lilies and many silk ribbons, with long black hair and a veil hiding her face, stood before them.

"Who are you?!" Mariko demanded.

"My name is Kagehoshi. I'm sorry about the time stop, but I can't have anyone interfering with our negotiations now, can we?"

_There's something about this lady I don't trust._ Hiruko thought. _Her voice itself sounds like it's dripped with poison._

"What negotiations?" Hiruko asked.

"Negotiations regarding the only family you have left." Will glowed, until he disappeared in a ball of white light. It travelled to Kagehoshi's hand, and it turned into a glass ball, with a miniature Will inside, pounding at the glass.

"Dad!"

"Daddy!"

"I heard you killed your own mother, and that the rest of your family turned against you when they found out. This man here is the only person who stuck by your side, other than your darling twin sister." Kagehoshi chuckled.

"What do you want with us?" Hiruko asked. Kagehoshi's other hand reached into her kimono.

"It's simple really. Work for me as members of my assassins until your purpose is fulfilled..." Kagehoshi held two red crystals attached to thin chains in her hand. "...and you and your father go free." She cocked her head to the side slightly. "You do like killing, right?"

"Of course not, we-" Hiruko stood in front of Mariko.

"Oh yeah, sure. Ya gotta love it!" Hiruko said cheerfully. "Just play along, sis. We've gotta save dad." He whispered.

"So you enjoy it?"

"Oh yes. I can't stop thinking about it." Mariko lied, smiling.

"Very good." Kagehoshi said cheerfully. "However, you can't join in the states you are in now. I'll have to awaken the abilities inside you." Kagehoshi made the crystals and glass ball hover in the air, and she placed a finger on each of the twins' foreheads. "You won't feel a thing." Her fingertips glowed green. Immediately, Hiruko's right arm transformed into a diamond like double edged blade.

"Whoa!" Hiruko exclaimed. Two stone spikes rose up on each side of Mariko.

"What happened?" Mariko asked.

"Hmmm... it seems that you both have shape shifting abilities. However, the younger one seems to be able to change the environment itself as well as her body. Here are your crystals." The crystals hovered in front of their faces. Hiruko and Mariko grabbed their own crystal. Both of them flashed red, and Mariko's showed the number six, whilst Hiruko's had the number seven. "Congratulations, Hiruko and Mariko. You are now members of the Juusenshi."

...

"So that's how it happened?" Jaden asked.

"Uh huh." Hiruko nodded. "I never thought it was my fault that I killed mom, and I never thought Mariko and I were forced to become Juusenshi; we joined to save dad. But he's still in Miranda's clutches. Plus, most of the Juusenshi and soldiers there still blamed me for my mother's death." Hiruko narrowed his eyes. "It was torture living there."

"That's terrible." Was all Jaden could think of to say. Hiruko clenched the bed sheets in his fists.

"It's not my fault." He muttered. "It's not my fault!" Hiruko yelled.

"I know."

"Huh?" Hiruko gasped, looking at Jaden. Jaden patted the surprised Hiruko on the head, smiling.

"I know." Jaden said again.

"You…" Hiruko started, his eyes shining. "You don't blame me?" Jaden shook his head.

"It's hard being the big brother all the time, isn't it? I don't have any brothers or sisters, so I don't know what it's like. But…you need a big brother right now, don't you? Not everyone can protect people they care about and not need someone to lean on. From now on, I wanna be that older brother to you. If you have any problems, tell me about them. If you're really happy, I'll listen to your stories. If you're sad or scared, I'll comfort you. If you're in danger, I'll protect you." Jaden clenched his free hand into a fist and placed it over his heart, grinning. "I'll be that older brother for you. That's a promise as a man."

"Jaden…" Hiruko looked down, his shoulders shaking. "Jaden…" Hiruko closed his eyes tightly, tears falling down his face. "Thank…you." Jaden pulled Hiruko into a comforting hug.

"Don't worry about it…"

…

"So…" Miranda started, looking out of a castle window. Nevara stood behind her, refusing to look at Miranda. "You were unable to kill the stone wielder."

"No." Nevara said.

"And you were defeated by my son?"

"Yes." Miranda flicked some black hair behind her shoulder.

"That's…surprising." Nevara hesitated.

"My humblest apologies, Miss Miranda." Nevara said quickly, bowing down on one knee. "I was too arrogant. I thought I could take Aster on because we weren't sure whether he was related to the phoenix fire, so I-"

"Enough." Nevara flinched. "You don't have to apologise for anything. Now rise." Nevara stood up. "Because now we know." Miranda turned around to face Nevara. "Aster has the phoenix fire inside of him…just like I thought. Your fight confirmed this. For that, I am grateful."

"Thank you, Miss Miranda." Nevara bowed her head to Miranda. Miranda smiled.

"Besides… you'll always have another opportunity to kill your brother." She walked past Nevara. "When you do that is up to you. If you go after him right now and fail, I will not make that count as a strike. In other words, do what you will."

…

"HIRUKOOOOOOOO!!!!!!"

"Hey, hey. What'd I do?" Hiruko protested, raising his hands in front of him. Syrus glared at him.

"Jaden's my best friend! Hands off him!" Syrus snapped.

"It was his decision for me to stay in his room for a while, not mine!" Hiruko yelled.

"Yeah, right! That's the oldest trick in the book!" Syrus and Hiruko's faces were now just inches apart.

"It's true! You're just jealous, right four eyes?!"

"What did you call me?!"

"Four eyes! I'll say it as many times as I want! FOUR EYES FOUR EYES FOUR EYES FOUR EYES!!!" Syrus said nothing, his eyebrow twitching. Hiruko turned away, folding his arms. "Pfft. Shorty." Syrus grabbed his hoodie. "What the…"

"YOU'RE SHORTER THAN ME!!!" Syrus screamed into Hiruko's face.

"I'm not deaf!!" Hiruko grabbed Syrus' yellow jacket.

"Don't call me a Shorty when you're younger sister is taller than you!"

"GACK! Well at least I have a chance of hitting puberty, unlike you!"

"What did you say?!"

"You heard me! You've got to be at least four years older than me, but you haven't even had your growth spurt yet! Heck, you're voice is still as squeaky as a mouse, but I suppose that's rather fitting for you, seeing as you're the size of one!"

"I'm gonna kill you!"

"Bring it on!" Hiruko and Syrus started waving their fists at each other, neither of them landing a blow. Aster and Hassleberry watched the over the sofa in the passageway. Jesse's head appeared in between them.

"Don't you think we should do something?" Jesse asked.

"Are you kidding? This is way more fun than air hockey."

"Besides..." Hassleberry linked his hands behind his head. "Shrimp isn't bothering me today. I can just sit back, relax, and watch those two battle it out."

"Don't get comfortable, dino boy! You're next!" Hiruko and Syrus shouted at the same time.

"My paradise was short lived." Hassleberry sighed.

"Don't lose hope. There's always another time." Jesse said cheerfully.

"When would that be, Andersen?" Hassleberry asked suspiciously. Jesse was silent, still smiling. He quickly stood up, rubbing the back of his head.

"Oh, jeez, is that the time already?! I've gotta get Jaden to stop this fight!" Jesse walked off, laughing nervously.

"There isn't going to be another time, is there?!" Hassleberry yelled after him. Aster burst out laughing. "What's so funny?!" Aster immediately stopped.

"Nothing, nothing. I was just er...thinking of something funny. Honest."

"Hmph." Hassleberry turned away, sulking. He spotted Haru leaning on the wall, dressed in his checked shirt outfit again and a bandage around his head, and grinned. "Oi, Haru." Hassleberry picked up a basketball and threw it at Haru's head.

"OW! What the hell did you do that for?!"

"You were spaced out, so I just thought I'd bring you out of it."

"Oh…I've er…got a lot on my mind right now."

"Anyway, I'm bored. Basketball. Outside"

…

"GOAL!" Hassleberry yelled as the basketball fell through the net. He ran around in circles, waving his arms above his head. "Haru, you're turn." Hassleberry kicked the basketball towards Haru, but it missed and landed in a hedge. "Haru, you're not very good at catching, are you?" Hassleberry picked up the ball and threw it at Haru again. This time, it landed on his head and dropped into his hands. Hassleberry sweat dropped slightly.

"Didn't that hurt?" He asked.

"Oh…right. Ouch." Haru muttered, not paying proper attention to Hassleberry. Hassleberry folded his arms.

"What's with ya, soldier? You've been all spacey since yesterday." Haru hesitated.

"_I'm not gonna let my best friends die."_

"Hassleberry…" Haru started quietly. His brown eyes shone. "Do…do you really see me that way?"

"Huh?" Hassleberry blinked. "What the heck are you talking about?" Haru looked down, his blonde hair hiding most of his face.

"Yesterday…you said that you never let your best friends die. Do you really consider me as your best friend?"

"Yeah, of course."

"But when we first met, I attacked you and nearly killed you. Doesn't that bother you?"

"Nope." Hassleberry shook his head. "I never let stupid stuff like that bother me." Haru's grip on the basketball tightened, and his body shook. "What's wrong?"

"I'm such an idiot!" Haru dropped the basketball and brought an arm up to his eyes. The basketball rolled towards Hassleberry's feet, and he picked it up without taking his eyes off Haru. Hassleberry saw tear marks on Haru's face.

_Is he…crying?_ Hassleberry thought.

"I always thought I knew everything I needed to know about friends, but I was wrong. You were always trying to understand me, but I'd just shrug you off, and you were always helping me and protecting me. Why the hell do I understand this now?" Haru rubbed his eyes with his hand. "And why the heck am I crying about it? It's so stupid." Hassleberry tossed the ball from one hand to the other.

"You're way too sensitive for a guy, Haru. You know that?" Haru looked up at Hassleberry, his eyes still slightly watery. Hassleberry glanced back at him.

"CHEER UP BLONDIE!" Hassleberry yelled cheerfully, throwing the basketball hard at Haru's face. Haru barely managed to dodge it. He grabbed the ball and threw it at Hassleberry's stomach.

"Can we lose some of the violence?!" Haru yelled.

"Sure, but why the hell did you throw it back like that?! That hurt!"

"You're the one who keeps throwing that damn thing in my face!" Haru turned away huffily, his arms folded. "I can't even remember what we were talking about now. That's your fault."

"Aw!" Hassleberry whined. He smirked.

"What's so funny?" Haru asked, suspicious.

"I wonder what Aiko would say if she saw you sulking?" Hassleberry teased.

"Shut up!" Haru exclaimed, turning red in the face.

"Y'know, Haru...you need to smile more often."

"Huh?" Haru blinked.

"You've been through a lot in your life, haven't you? Man!" Hassleberry suddenly exclaimed, throwing his arms up into the air. "The list must be endless. I could go on forever. But still... you shouldn't let stuff like that bother you anymore." Hassleberry pointed at himself, grinning. "You can talk to me about any problems you may have, okay? 'Cause that's what best buds do!"

"..." Haru was left silent at what Hassleberry said. He turned away. "Yeah. You're right. If...if you already see me as your best friend then..." Haru looked up at Hassleberry. "Then I want to see you in that same light." He shook his head quickly. "No wait that came out wrong. Let me try it again." Hassleberry walked up to Haru and flicked him on the forehead. "DAH!" Haru rubbed his forehead, and Hassleberry placed a hand on his head, surprising him.

"You worry too much." Hassleberry placed a hand on his own head. "And I'm taller than you." Haru cringed.

"Shut up. I'm still the older one."

"Yeah. Whatever." Haru shrugged off Hassleberry's hand.

"My turn." Haru picked up the basketball and threw it over his shoulder. It landed perfectly through the basket.

"HUH?!" Hassleberry exclaimed, open mouthed. "How did you do that?!"

"I've had practice with Sekio." Haru smiled cheerfully. "Basketball was the only thing I was good at back then." Haru turned to his left, suddenly shocked.

"What's wrong?" Hassleberry asked.

"I thought I...it's nothing. I just thought we were being watched, that's all."

"It's a ghoooooost!" Hassleberry moaned, waving his arms in the air.

"It's daytime, Hassleberry."

"You never know. My turn!" Meanwhile, whilst the two of them argued, a shadow was watching them from the trees. It smiled, and disappeared in a flash of light.

...

"What the heck's going on here?" Jaden asked, staring at a dust cloud of fists and yells. It disappeared, and Hiruko and Syrus were in mid fight, staring at Jaden.

"WAH!" Hiruko whined, shoving Syrus away from him. "Save me, bro." Hiruko hid behind Jaden. "Syrus is being mean to me."

"Am not!" Syrus began to chase Hiruko around Jaden.

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!" Jaden managed to grab Syrus and Hiruko on their heads.

"Come on you two. There's no need to argue over me." Jaden laughed. "Hug and make up, 'kay?" Hiruko and Syrus turned their backs on each other, their arms folded and their heads held high. "Hmmm...this is gonna be tricky. It's hard enough when it's Hassleberry and Syrus. Ah well!"

"What do you mean "oh well"?!" Aster exclaimed. "We can't have people arguing at a time like this."

"If they wanna bicker, they can bicker to their hearts content, THEN they can be friends." Jaden pointed out.

"I'M NEVER GONNA BE HIS FRIEND EVEN IF HE WAS THE LAST GUY ON EARTH!!" Syrus and Hiruko yelled, pointing at each other.

"Huh?" Aster and Hiruko looked up.

"Is something wrong?" Jesse asked.

"I thought I sensed someone near here." Aster said. He shook his head. "Nah. It's gone now."

...

Nevara stood on a hill outside of Domino City, looking over at the sky.

"So...did you find them, Armstrong?" Nevara asked. Armstrong teleported behind her.

"Yeah. They're still in that flat, Nevara." Nevara glared over her shoulder at Armstrong.

"How many times do I have to tell you? You are to address me as "Miss Nevara"."

"I'm not calling anyone a title. It's not the way I roll."

"Remember, I am of a higher rank than you. I could kill you right now and be done with you, but then Miss Miranda would have my head on a platter, so I'm holding back."

"Yeah, yeah." Armstrong muttered. "Just tell me when we make a move."

"Three days. Your tool will be finished by then, right?"

"Yeah. Finally..." Armstrong grinned. "I'll be able to take down that Kishido bitch when she least expects it."

"Fool! We're not here for her. It's the stone wielder we're after. And that tool you're going to use will sniff him out."

"I know but...it will also be able to find a Kishido. Don't you see?" Nevara raised an eyebrow.

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that...if we both attack at once, they'll be expecting it. But, if we somehow separate them, I can go after the Kishido as a decoy. They'll think that's what they're really doing, but really, you'll be waiting in the shadows for your little brother." Armstrong grinned again. "Genius isn't it?"

"I hate to admit it, but it is a good idea." Nevara turned back to the city. "Very well. We shall put forward our plan in three days time."

**TA DA! It's the Easter hols! YAY! Wait a minute...I'll be revising for most of the holiday...BOO!! Ah well. Can't be helped. Just stay tuned, okay readers?**


	21. Chapter 21: Human Radar

**Hi guys! I hope you all had a good Easter! I know I did! HEE HEE! CHOCOLATE! Here's the next chapter, you know what to do!**

Chapter 21

Human Radar

3 days later

Armstrong stared up at a giant floor to ceiling glass tube similar to the one Magdala was created in. Inside was a girl curled up in a ball with tubes attached to her body, and her shoulder length hair hid her face. Bubbles rose to the surface of the liquid she was floating in, and red lights were in the floor surrounding the tube, and they were the only light in the entire room.

"I'm coming in." A door slid open, providing a little light into the room. Nevara stepped in, and the door closed noiselessly behind her, making the room dark once more. Nevara walked up to Armstrong and looked at the floating girl.

"Well?" She asked.

"Well what?"

"Is it finished?" Nevara indicated the girl. "The tool?"

"Yeah. She just needs a few more minutes."

"It seems your spying certainly did come in handy, Armstrong. But why create a clone rather than capture the actual girl?"

"Well, that would be a lot trickier, wouldn't it? Besides..." Armstrong tapped the glass with his knuckle. "This girl is gonna be a lot more obedient than the other one. What was her name again?" Nevara rolled her eyes.

"The name of the girl..." The floating girl looked up and opened her eyes, revealing dark brown eyes. "Is Aiko."

"Oh yeah, now I remember." Armstrong remembered the combined attack of the Juusenshi, mainly when Catalina attacked Aiko, Chloe, Melody and Selena. "The cat girl had a hair from the fairy after her attack." Nevara sighed.

"I'm amazed Alister made you a Juusenshi when you can't even remember the names of your enemies."

"Does it even matter? You don't even call them by their names."

"You know what I mean." Nevara turned her attention back to the Aiko clone. "But...you can't be too careful. She may have the sensors needed for finding what we're looking for, but she might develop her other powers, and use them against you. She must have "that" operation".

"I guess. I mean, she's not gonna tell me willingly where they are." Armstrong grinned. "I suppose I'll have to show her who's boss."

"Alright..." Nevara began to make her way out of the room. "Let me know when you're done with her. We'll have to give her the operation soon." The door opened, and Nevara paused for a moment. She looked over her shoulder at Armstrong. "Remember the motto: the strong will rise, and the weak will fall. Show the tool that you are stronger." The door slid closed behind her.

"Right then." Armstrong pulled out an axe from behind him, and smashed a giant hole in the glass capsule. The liquid gushed out gradually, until it destroyed the tube. Quickly, the axe folded out into a shield to protect Armstrong from the liquid. Soon, the room was soaked, and there was glass all over the floor. The Aiko clone was sitting on her knees in the middle of the room, still wet from her time in the capsule. Armstrong walked up to her, making the shield unfold into a metal rod.

"You don't know how to stand? Heh, that just makes things easier. I'd give you clothes to wear, but you won't need them right now." Armstrong stopped in front of the girl, who looked up at Armstrong, fear in her eyes. The metal rod in Armstrong's hand suddenly turned into a crossbow-like weapon with a loud snap. The girl's eyes widened. Armstrong's grin became even wider. "Now then, let's have some fun."

...

"Okay...best three out of five!" Jaden declared. Aster sat cross legged on the floor in front of Jaden, his head resting in his hand.

"Come on, we've been doing this for an hour already. Why won't you accept that you can't win?" Aster said, bored.

"But this is different!" Jaden pulled out his deck. "This time, you have to find my Elemental Hero Neos!" Jaden fanned out his cards on the floor. "Now then..." Jaden grinned. "Where is it? Choose wisely, because if you get it wrong, it's a point for me."

"Er, I pick that one." Aster pointed at a random card. Jaden turned it over, and it was Elemental Hero Neos. Jaden's jaw dropped. "I win!" Aster said cheerfully.

"Grrr!" Jaden shuffled the cards around furiously. Aster pointed at another card, and once again, it was Neos.

"I win!" Aster said again.

"GRAH!" Jaden shuffled the cards around so viciously that when he was done, he was out of breath.

"Up your sleeve."

"What?" Jaden pulled a card out of his sleeve, and it was indeed Neos.

"I win!"

"How do you do that?!" Jaden exclaimed, standing up.

"Well, Hassleberry did say that my powers were getting stronger. Maybe Hannah's ability to see the future has developed inside me." Aster closed his eyes and smiled. "Or maybe I just have good instincts."

"How can you keep a cool face?! This means I lose a bet I made with Hannah!"

"That's right." Jaden turned around slowly. Hannah stood behind him, a vicious smirk on her face and an evil glint in her eyes. A large dog collar was dangling from her finger. "Now, get ready for walkies!"

"But...but..."

"I knew you were going to lose all along. I can see into the future, remember?"

"Great work Hannah." Hannah and Aster high fived each other.

"WHY'S EVERYONE PICKING ON MEEEEEE?!!" Jaden yelled, clutching his head. Hannah and Aster laughed. "You two are evil!"

"Aw, you're hurting me feelings." Aster whined, pretending to be hurt.

"You think you're hurt?! I'm gonna have to go round the park and act like a dog now thanks to your double act!" Jaden fell to his knees and hunched forward, his hands on his head. "The humiliation!"

"I take back being bored. This is way more fun!" Aster started laughing again. Aiko watched the three of them from a distance.

_Those two seem to be very close. He must be the first real friend Aster has ever made. And, despite what he's going through right now, he can still smile like that._ Aiko shook her head, smiling._ Aster Phoenix, you really are amazing._

"Hi Aiko."

"EEP!" Aiko flinched. Aster was right behind him, one arm one the wall. Aster smirked.

"What're you up to, huh?"

"Uh...n-nothing." Aiko stammered, fiddling with her hands. "I was just, y'know...thinking."

"Something's different about you, Aiko." Aster peered closely at Aiko. "Did you get a haircut? Nah, that's not it. You're just a bit...well...you're a ditz." Aiko shoved Aster onto the floor. "Hey hey, what was that for?! It was a simple question."

"There's no need to sound so insulting." Aiko said huffily, folding her arms.

"Shall I take that as a "yes"?"

"Urgh! You are so infuriating sometimes!" Aiko exclaimed, her face turning red with embarrassment. She suddenly realised something. "Wait a second. Where's Haru?"

"Oh him?" Aster stood up. "He's out."

"What?! But the Juusenshi are out to kill him! It's not safe!"

"Sure it is."

"Why?!"

"Because Hassleberry went with him."

"?" Aiko blinked, confused.

"You've got nothing to worry about. As long as someone is with your boyfriend, he'll be fine."

"He's not my boyfriend!" Aiko's cheeks turned red again.

"Yeah, sure he's not." Aster teased. "But…ever since we got back here, those two have practically been joined at the hip."

…

"Wanted. Kidnapping. Reward: fifteen thousand." Haru and Hassleberry stared at a wanted poster of a man wearing an eye patch. The citizens of Domino City walked past them without a second glance.

"Do you think something happened to his eye?" Haru asked.

"Nah, I bet it's just for show."

"I dunno. In my lifetime, plenty of soldiers have had eye patches."

"Did you take a peek underneath them?" Hassleberry eagerly asked.

"Yup. I looked under a few, and it's not a pretty sight."

"Gross. Anyway, why did we have to leave the arcade so soon?!" Hassleberry whined.

"Because, Hassleberry, you were spending all your money on that stupid Pacman game."

"But it's so damn addictive!"

"Addictions are made to be overcome." Haru countered.

"You had a go too." Hassleberry countered back.

"Only because you insisted." Haru smirked. "I still can't believe I managed to beat your score."

"You did?"

"Don't you remember? You were out of lives in, like, five minutes. I kept going for a full half hour."

"Are you sure you've never played video games before?" Hassleberry asked suspiciously.

"Absolutely."

"How do I know you're not lying?"

"Hassleberry, would I lie to you?" Haru asked back. Hassleberry's mouth opened, and then shut as he tried to think of a response.

"Well…you…I…" Hassleberry stammered. He shook his head quickly. "How come you're so good at Pacman?!"

"Maybe it's because you suck at it so badly." Haru answered, smirking

"GAAAAAAAAHHH!!" Hassleberry yelled. Hassleberry immediately snapped out of his shocked state and looked at Haru. He had turned away from Hassleberry and was clutching his arms, shivering. "Haru? Are you okay? What's wrong?" Hassleberry placed a hand on Haru's shoulder. Haru let out a small gasp and turned to Hassleberry, who had concern written all over his face.

"Ah, it's nothing. It just got cold for a moment, that's all."

"Cold?" Hassleberry repeated, confused. "But it's summer."

"But don't you occasionally have summer chills or something?"

"No."

"Ah, whatever, let's get going already." Haru turned to walk away, but he stopped.

_There it is again._ Haru thought. _That chill._ Haru clutched his arms again. _It's so unsettling._

"Haru?" Hassleberry started.

"Hey Hassleberry. Let's go home!" Haru declared, suddenly turning around to face Hassleberry with a smile on his face. "There's something really interesting on television today, and I don't want to miss it. AH! It's on soon! We'd better hurry! Come on!" Haru began to walk away quickly. "Hurry up, slowpoke."

"Haru what the… aw, wait for me!" Hassleberry ran to catch up with Haru.

_I've got a bad feeling about this._ Haru thought. _I've got to act like everything's fine. _Meanwhile, Nevara was watching the two of them walk away from the shadows.

"Armstrong…don't screw up." She muttered, before she disappeared back into the darkness. Armstrong came out of the alleyway, a large metal container on his back. He banged it lightly with his fist.

"Okay, where is she?" Armstrong looked at a small device in his hand. It looked like a radar on the screen, and five green dots flashed. He grinned.

…

"I'm telling you, Joey would've won if it weren't for Kaiba's Blue Eyes White Dragon." Jaden exclaimed. Aster, Jesse, Syrus and Hiruko were not convinced.

"No way." Aster said. "I don't buy it."

"How would you know? You haven't even duelled them." Jaden challenged.

"One: yes, I have duelled them. Kaiba's got ten times more skill than Joey. Two: Joey's Red Eyes Black Dragon is too weak to stand up to Blue Eyes."

"But what about Red Eyes Darkness Dragon?"

"Three: Joey doesn't even have that card." Jaden was silent. He slumped forward in his armchair.

"Okay. You win. I stand corrected." He muttered gloomily.

"There's no need to get depressed about it. It's just a fact. Look, I'll prove it. Just let me get my deck." Aster stood up and was about to leave the room, but he stopped, a blank look on his face. He saw a vision of Armstrong walking through the streets, staring at a device in his hand. He stopped when he reached a large house, and grinned.

"Aster!"

"Huh?!" Aster snapped out of his trance, and saw Jaden standing in front of him.

"What's wrong?"

"I think I saw into the future." Aster answered, still stunned. He collapsed into an armchair, a hand on his head.

"What did you see?" Syrus asked.

"It was that new Juusenshi."

"Mokuren?" Hiruko asked.

"No the other one." Hiruko, Jesse, Syrus and Jaden all looked blank. "The one who's got a grudge on Meno."

"Oh, you mean Armstrong." Hiruko realised. "What about him?"

"I saw him in this city. He was walking around with this device in his hand, and he stopped outside a house."

"Do you know what the house looked like?" Jesse asked.

"Yes. It had a red front door, two floors and a stone white wall around it."

"Armstrong is trying to track us." Jesse realised.

"How do you know?"

"I don't. I'm guessing. Doesn't Aiko have tracking abilities or something?"

"She does?"

"Did you see what was on the device?"

"I'm not sure. It was hard to tell, but I think I saw some dots flashing. About five would be a good guess."

"I see." Aster said thoughtfully.

"_Right now, I can sense warlocks, demons, stone wielders, others of my kind and Kishido's."_

"What Aiko said…what if Armstrong somehow got hold of this information?" Jesse asked.

"He'd go after us." Syrus answered.

"It was a rhetorical question." Jesse said. "Armstrong will stop at nothing to get rid of Meno. And there were five dots. If we think about what she said and what Aster saw, Armstrong will be tracking…um…" Jesse counted on his fingers. "Well, there's Aiko, Meno and Haru. But we're not in a house; we in a flat. Which means the fourth dot is someone who doesn't live with us, and is a guardian or stone wielder. But it can't be a stone wielder; they're all wiped out. Which means…" Jesse's eyes widened. He stood up.

"Selena!" Jesse gasped.

Several minutes later

"Aw, I hate homework!" Selena exclaimed, stretching her arms above her head. "It should be extinct. What's the point of it?"

_Knock knock!_

"Huh?" Selena looked up. "Mom and Dad aren't home. Should I see who it is? Aw, what the heck." Selena left her bedroom. "Coming!" She went down the stairs and moved towards the front door. "Hold on, let me get the lock." As soon as she opened the door, Hiruko, Jesse, Jaden, Syrus and Aster ran inside. Selena stared at them as they gasped for breath.

"Jesse? Did you run all the way here? I know we were meeting up today and all, but you didn't have to run here. You had plenty of time." Selena said, closing the door.

"Selena! Are you okay?" Jesse asked frantically. Selena blinked, confused.

"I'm fine. Why? Is something happening?"

"Selena, there's a Juusenshi trying to hunt us down."

"What?" Selena gasped, eyes wide.

"We think he might come here, so we got here as quickly as we could." Aster said.

"Sorry to alarm you." Jaden said cheerfully.

"Thank you, Jesse. All of you." Selena smiled. There was another knock on the door. "Oh. Is that someone else here to help?" Selena turned around to open the door.

"DON'T!!" The boys all yelled at the same time, just as Selena opened the door. Armstrong stood in the doorway, and stared down at Selena.

"Huh? You're not her." He muttered, confused.

"Um…can I help you?" Selena asked. Armstrong responded by kicking her in the stomach. The force sent Selena flying straight into Jesse.

"Selena!"

"I'm sure this is the right place." Armstrong said to himself, staring at the device in his hand.

"What do you want?" Aster demanded.

"The other brats are here, so where's the Kishido?" Armstrong continued, ignoring Aster.

"Hey! I'm talking to you!" Aster yelled. Armstrong looked up.

"Shut up. I'm trying to concentrate."

"You're looking for Meno, aren't you?" Jaden said. "Well, you've come to the wrong place."

_Just like I thought._ Jesse thought. He glanced down at Selena, who was lying on his lap while his arms were around her. _Armstrong came here because Selena just became a guardian._

"We know that that thingy in your hand can track Kishido's, but it can also track down stone wielders and guardians. Besides, don't you know that we live in a flat, and not a house?" Jaden said.

"Damn. I forgot." Armstrong hissed.

"You're pretty stupid huh?" Syrus said cheerfully. He noticed a cable attached to the small device leading to the metal container on his back. His eyes widened. "Hey…what's on your back?" Syrus asked nervously.

"What, this thing?" Armstrong tapped the container. "I guess I'll show you, seeing as I'm going to finish you all off soon." He removed the container and slammed it onto the floor in front of the group. He pressed a button on the top, and a door slowly slid open. A cloud of steam moved out into the room, covering up what was inside.

"I'm getting a bad feeling about this." Hiruko whispered to Jaden. Jaden patted him on the head to reassure him, but didn't take his eyes away from the metal backpack.

"This is the tool I used to track you down." The steam cleared.

"What?!" Aster gasped, eyes wide. Selena covered her mouth with her hands, horrified, and Jesse's grip on her tightened.

"I wish I'd never asked!" Syrus yelled, shaking his head. Jaden and Hiruko just stared at the container, speechless.

"That's…that's Aiko." Aster managed to say. Sure enough inside was another Aiko, but the lower half of her body was gone. Tubes travelled inside her from the bottom, and there were smaller tubes attached all over her body. The clone looked up, her face damp with sweat and tears and gasping for breath.

"It's not quite Aiko. It's a clone I made of her. But, she's rather difficult to carry around, so her lower body had to be removed. In truth…" Armstrong placed a hand on the metal. "This thing is a life support machine."

"Life support?" Selena repeated.

"Yup. All her internal organs have been removed, but I made sure her lungs were still there because I need her alive and breathing for the sensors to work. She would cause some trouble if she cried out, so a neurotoxin is being pumped into her system, putting her in so much pain that she can't even scream. Hmmm. Now that I think about it, she must be in a lot of pain right now. Heheh." Armstrong peered at the clone's face. "Just look at her face. I wish I had a camera. Oh?" The clone raised an arm shakily. She reached out towards the shocked group.

"Pl…please…kill…me… It…hurts…" She whispered. Aster gasped. He suddenly saw what she saw. From when she was in the tube, to when she was confronted by Armstrong, and the operation she went through. The memories Aster saw were so painful, he could almost feel the pain that she felt.

"GYAAAAAAAAHHH!!" Aster yelled, falling onto his knees with his hands on his head.

"Aster!" Jaden gasped, alarmed.

"Huh? Looks like the phoenix boy's ability to read minds became stronger. Seems he can see into this things memory. What's it like? Painful?" Armstrong taunted. "I had to show her who was in charge, so I played a little rough with her before her lower half was removed. Can you feel it? What about the operation? Can you feel that too?"

"You're a monster." Aster muttered.

"What was that? I didn't quite catch that."

"I said you're a monster!" Aster snapped, looking up at Armstrong with rage filling his eyes.

"Why should you feel sorry for this thing?" Armstrong asked, slamming a hand on top of the container. "In the condition she's in, she's only got three days to live. If it weren't for this machine, she'd already be dead." Armstrong clenched his fists. "She was supposed to lead me to the Kishido, but…" Armstrong stood back. "SHE'S SO FRIGGIN' USELESS!!" Armstrong suddenly kicked the container over, much to the horror of everyone else. "YOU WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO BRING ME HERE TO A DAMN FAIRY! I TOLD YOU TO FIND THE KISHIDO! GOD YOU'RE SO STUPID!!" Armstrong yelled, while kicking the container around the hallway repeatedly. Aster, Jaden, Jesse, Syrus, Selena and Selena could only watch, horrified. Armstrong eventually stopped, out of breath. He removed his foot from the container. A puddle of blood slowly spread over the carpet. Armstrong grinned.

"Whoopsie. Looks like I killed her." Selena cried silently into Jesse's shirt. Armstrong shrugged. "We could've used her for so many more missions if she hadn't screwed up." He chuckled to himself. "Oh wait, she was dying anyway. It would be pointless keeping her. With all the things I did to her, she must be glad that she died."

"Why?"

"Huh?" Hiruko stepped forward, his fists clenched.

"Why did you have to do that? She never had a single good memory in her head, but you filled it with bad memories. And now you've killed her. Why did you do that? Even clones deserve to live." Armstrong let out a laugh.

"It's funny hearing that from somebody who used to enjoy killing."

"Maybe…" Hiruko continued. "But people can change. Just like Haru and I did. And for what you did to that girl…" Hiruko's right arm transformed into a diamond blade. "I'll never forgive you!" Hiruko charged at Armstrong. Quick as a flash, Armstrong pulled out a crossbow from behind him, and it was loaded with a spiked ball. Hiruko eyes widened. Armstrong pulled the trigger, and it went towards Hiruko.

"Look out!" Jaden rammed Hiruko out the way, and the spiked ball went straight into his left side, the force blasting away the clothing around the ball. "GAH! What the hell is this thing?" Jaden fell backwards onto the floor, his hands on the spiked ball. "I can't pull it out!"

"Of course you can't. The barbs on the spikes make it a little trickier. Unfortunately, you won't get seriously injured with just one." Armstrong narrowed his eyes. "However..." Jaden's eyes suddenly widened.

"EYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!" Jaden collapsed on his back, doubling over from the pain.

"Bro!" Hiruko cried.

"It's hurting bad, right? These bullets have another type of neurotoxin inside them, and it oozes out on contact with human flesh. The pain is unbearable right?"

"Bro! Hang in there!" Hiruko begged, placing a hand on Jaden's shaking body. Jaden looked up at Hiruko, smiling weakly.

"Nah. This...is nothing...I'm glad...that...you didn't get...hit..." Jaden cried out as another shock of pain was shot through his body.

"Jaden!" Jesse yelled. Armstrong stepped in front of Selena and Jesse, preventing them from going to the group.

"Don't worry about that slacker. You should worry about yourselves."

"Don't lay a finger on them!" Syrus yelled. Without turning around, Armstrong threw some jacks over to the gang. They landed in a perfect circle around them.

"What the..." Aster started. The jack's glowed, and a spherical force field was projected around them. Aster placed a hand on it, but a spark of electricity made him jerk it away.

"Don't touch that force field. Unless you want an electric shock." Armstrong said. Aster growled.

"Stay behind me, Selena." Jesse stood up, placing an arm in front of Selena.

"What? It's because of that girl that I was sent to the wrong place. She has to be destroyed."

"Don't touch her." Jesse said firmly. "I don't care what happens to me, so leave Selena alone and take me instead."

"Jesse, what are you thinking?!" Syrus exclaimed.

"You moron!" Aster yelled.

"Aw, how noble. Sacrificing yourself to protect your girlfriend. But..." Armstrong aimed the crossbow at Jesse, who didn't even flinch. "You might as well have kept silent, and you still would've been hit with one of these." Armstrong held another spiked bullet in his hand. He loaded it in the crossbow. "Get ready."

"NOW ASTER!!" Jesse yelled.

"What?!" Armstrong turned around, and Jesse kicked him across the face and onto the floor. Jesse fired a blast of lightning at the force field from his finger, and it immediately disappeared. Armstrong sat up, growling.

"Grrr. That was a dirty trick." Armstrong aimed his crossbow once again. "Now someone else will have to be punished. And that will be him." The crossbow pointed directly at Aster. Before he could react, another bullet rammed straight into his left side, slamming him against the wall.

"What the hell is this thing?" Aster gripped his hands around it.

"HAHAHA!! Everybody always reacts the same way. At least give me a different reaction. But when it's lodged that far in, you won't be able to pull it out without losing most of your waist. I guess it will start now."

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Aster collapsed onto his side, his hands still on his bullet. Armstrong burst out laughing. Aster flinched from the pain, and didn't notice when Armstrong walked up to him. He grabbed a handful of Aster's silver hair and pulled him off the floor to stare into his face, while Aster glared back.

"So this is the great phoenix guardian everyone's been talking about. A bit disappointing if you ask me. Now you can't save your friends, 'cos that neurotoxin is gonna prevent you from moving around." Armstrong let go of Aster's hair, letting him drop back onto the floor.

"Aster!" Selena cried, tears in her eyes.

"I really didn't think it would be this easy to defeat someone who everyone else was having such a hard time with! This is so much fun!" Armstrong burst into laughter again. "Now then, back to you." Armstrong turned his attention to Jesse and Selena.

"Get away...from...them."

"Huh?" Armstrong turned around. Aster had sat up on his knees, and was glaring at Armstrong. His grip on the ball tightened. "I told you, it's useless. If the barbs are that deep, it will never come out. And even if you try to pull it out, the pain will be so unbearable, your hands will instinctively stop. But, if you grasp it hard enough to pull it out, you're hands will only get pierced too. It's been tested on prisoners many times."

"Really? Then do you know if this happened?" A barb came away from Aster's skin.

_What?!_ Armstrong thought, wide eyed. Aster smirked. "Hold on, don't tell me you're going to-"

_Splooch!_

"OOOOOOWWWWW!" Aster yelled, dropping the bloody ball onto the floor. Gasping for breath, Aster's hands went back to the injury.

"You're insane." Armstrong muttered.

"By just testing it, you don't have enough practice, and you can't predict something like this either. Because...that drug gave me so much agony..." Aster looked up, smiling triumphantly. "Pulling it out didn't hurt at all."

"But...you're hand..."

"Oh this?" Aster held his right hand up. It had several holes in it. They instantly sealed up like zips. "Don't tell me you forgot that I can regenerate too." Armstrong staggered back.

"Wait a sec...There's been a misunderstanding."

"And what would that be?"

Armstrong spun around, and his eyes widened. Behind him were Hassleberry, Aiko and Haru.

"Hassleberry!" Syrus yelled, beaming. "Boy. Am I glad to see you! Well, actually I've never been glad to see you, but I am now!"

"Heh. What took you so long?" Aster asked, smirking.

"Sorry we're late." Haru apologised.

"You. You're the stone wielder." Armstrong realised, pointing at Haru. "You're Nevara's kid brother."

"I do have a name." Haru grabbed the front of Armstrong's shirt. "And that name is Haru. Haru Kinoshita. Don't forget it." Haru punched Armstrong across the face, and he fell onto the ground.

"But...how did you get here?" Armstrong asked, sitting up.

"Remember me?" Aiko said cheerfully, waving.

"The pixie?"

"She has sensors that can track down stone wielders and pixies. But...she's not the only one who can sense people." Hassleberry answered

"What?! You mean..." Armstrong looked back at Haru. He nodded.

"I can sense them too. I had a feeling something was wrong. When me and Hassleberry got home, Aiko got the same feeling, so that's why we're here. But, it seems like we weren't needed. Aster, he's all yours."

"Thanks." Aster stood up, his side completely healed. "Son of a bitch. You threw this thing at me." Aster picked up the spiked ball.

"NO!"

"Eat this!" Aster threw the bullet straight into Armstrong's back.

"GAH! GET IT OUT!" Armstrong yelled, his hands trying to reach the bullet.

"Come on. At least give me a different reaction." Aster taunted, smirking. Armstrong growled.

"This isn't over!" Armstrong ran out of the house, whilst people in the streets stared at the ball in his back. Aster closed the door.

"You think I should've thrown it in his butt?" He wondered.

"He would've been able to reach it though." Aiko answered.

"Yeah, but it would be a lot funnier when he ran away." Jesse responded, smirking. Jaden sat up.

"I think the toxin's run out." Jaden said.

"Are you okay?" Hiruko asked.

"Yup. My side hurts, but other than that I'm fine." Jaden grinned cheerfully.

"Jaden, I'm not sure how we're going to get this thing out of you, but maybe I can ease it out."

"Go ahead." Jaden shrugged.

"Okay, but it'll hurt."

"What's that?" Haru pointed at the container.

"Oh that? Armstrong used it as a-Ow!-radar to track Selena. He wanted Meno but-Ow!-he went the wrong way. Ow!" Jaden winced occasionally as each barb was pulled out.

"Sorry. I did say it would hurt." Aster apologised.

"I wonder what it was…" Haru placed a hand on the backpack and lifted it up to get a peek.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Hassleberry said nervously. "Can't you see the blood?"

"I'm sure it's not that bad." Haru responded, and looked inside. "AH!" He recoiled from the container, horrified.

"Told ya." Hassleberry said. Haru placed a hand on his head and staggered. "Uh oh." Hassleberry moved over to Haru's side and caught him before he even started to fall. "You okay?" Haru opened his eyes.

"That's nasty."

"I did warn you."

"Yeah yeah. Thanks." Haru looked down at the radar. The five dots were still flashing, and four of them were closer together. Haru got down on one knee and picked it up. "Hold on a sec."

"What's wrong?" Selena asked.

"Something doesn't add up."

"Why? What is it?" Syrus asked.

"I saw that the backpack had a clone of Aiko, and she can sense stone wielders, Kishido's and other guardians."

"Yeah? So?" Aster asked.

"It doesn't make sense. The only ones who should be on this thing are me, Aiko, Selena and Meno." Haru pointed at the dot further away. "This one is, without a doubt, Meno."

"So then..." Jaden started.

"Who's the fifth?" Aster finished, dropping the spiked ball that was in Jaden's side onto the floor.

"It's someone in this room." Jesse said. "Could Aiko be able to sense Phoenix warriors too?"

"I can't." Aiko shook her head. "I have no idea who it could be."

"I don't know either." Selena said.

"Can't you even tell them apart?" Haru asked.

"I know what a stone wielder is, but the guardians and Kishido's right now feel the same to me."

"Huh. This is a real head scratcher." Hassleberry muttered. He shrugged. "Ah well. I guess it was just a glitch." Hassleberry turned his attention to the container. "So...what do we do with this?"

...

"Aster, hurry up."

"Keep it down, Jaden. You'll make a scene. If you want to be useful, shut up and grab a shovel."

"There's no-one around."

"But there will be if you keep making a noise."

"Will you two shut up already?!"

"Yes Jesse."

"Sorry Jesse."

"Hey, wouldn't it be easier for Aster to use his powers instead of digging a hole by hand?" Silence.

"Dammit, Syrus. Way to make us look stupid."

_Rumble_

"Alright, put her in."

_Rumble_

"All done." The group walked out of a bunch of hedges.

"Do you think anyone will go there?" Hiruko asked.

"Don't worry. We left it so that it was as if nobody dug it." Jaden reassured, grinning.

"But this is the park." Hiruko pointed out.

"Ah, nobody pays much attention to stuff on the ground anyway. And it's not like people go around searching for amputated bodies."

"Yeah, I guess."

"I still can't believe someone could do something so cruel." Aiko whispered.

"And Selena got dragged into it." Jesse looked at the ground. "Somehow, I blame myself. If she hadn't got any powers, she wouldn't have been in this mess."

"Jesse, you shouldn't blame yourself. You came to protect me, and that's what matters." Selena held onto Jesse's arm. "Stop beating yourself up over it, okay?"

"Yeah..." Jesse smiled. "You're right. Thanks Selena."

"Aw, how touching."

"!!" The group turned around. Nevara was standing just metres away from them.

"I didn't think Armstrong would get attacked with his own weapon, let alone be defeated. But, I did find my brother, so I guess it's even."

**Well, that's the end of that chapter. In the next chapter, it's the confrontation with Nevara, and it's worth readin', because she's going to reveal a couple of secrets. One of them involves Sekio. What could it be? Find out next time!**


	22. Chapter 22: Gargoyle

**Exams exams exams exams exams exams exams exams!!! GAH! Why can't A levels be easier?! Meh, can't be helped. Right, rant over. Read the chapter already.**

Chapter 22

Gargoyle

Flashback

"_Haru...Haru..."_

"_Mmm..." A twelve year old Haru blinked his eyes open. His vision was slightly blurred, but he could faintly make out the outline of a person. He blinked, and he saw Sekio staring down at him. Relief washed over Sekio's face._

"_You're okay."_

"_Wha...where am I, big brother?" Haru asked, sitting up. He realised he was lying on a mattress with the bed still neatly made up._

"_You're back in our room."_

"_What happened?"_

"_On a mission, I had to kill a man. You came with me, and after seeing him die, you fainted."_

"_Again?!" Haru exclaimed._

"_It looks like the deaths of our parents must have affected you pretty badly." Haru turned away._

"_I'm sorry." Haru muttered._

"_Huh?"_

"_It's my fault for being like this. I can't stand knowing I'm a burden to you."_

"_What gave you that idea?" Haru clenched the bed sheets in his hand._

"_No-one. Just a few guys."_

"_Haru, I told you not to listen to those lowlifes. They're just trying to make our life a living hell for their own amusement. Don't let them get to you."_

"_But it's true."_

"_What?" Haru tugged at one of his blonde bangs._

"_I'm not a strong stone wielder, and I have vertigo. On top of that, I faint when someone dies in front of me." Haru closed his eyes tightly. "I'm sure I'm better off dead." Haru snapped his eyes open when Sekio firmly grabbed his shoulders._

"_Don't ever say that, Haru! You're not a burden to anyone, and you're certainly not anything like that to me. You're Haru Kinoshita, and you're my little brother."_

"_You might not think so, but everyone else does. I've had so many death threats I've lost count. You never know when they might kill me." Sekio removed his hands from Haru's shoulders._

"_I won't have it." Sekio declared, placing a fist over his heart. "I promise as a man that I'm going to protect you with my life. I don't care if it costs me my position as a Juusenshi; I'll make sure we both see the day we get away from this hell hole."_

"_Really?" Haru asked, his eyes shining. Sekio nodded._

"_Besides, you don't suck at everything. You're pretty good at hand to hand combat. I mean, you're pretty agile. I guess those lessons with Amber and those other girls really paid off."_

"_I hate using it!" Haru exclaimed. Sekio raised an eyebrow._

"_Oh? Why would that be?"Haru's cheeks turned pink with embarrassment._

"_It's girly." He grumbled. Sekio ruffled his hair._

"_Y'know. I think you're gonna be okay."_

_..._

"_Knife." Sekio warned in a monotone voice. Haru ducked, and a knife was jammed into the wall. "Poison dart." Haru stopped walking, and a dart flew past his arm and into the wall next to the knife, making a dark purple stain spread from the dart. "Grenade." A grenade landed at Haru's feet. He picked it up and threw it out the window, where it exploded safely, without even changing his expression._

"_Is that everything?" Haru asked._

"_Hmmm... the cleaver's late." At that moment, a cleaver fell from the ceiling and landed in front of Haru. "Oh, there it is."_

"_Isn't it weird? Avoiding things like this has become a part of my daily life here."_

"_Kagehoshi must really have it for you, huh?" Sekio scratched his head. "But you'd think they would change what weapons they'd use, don't you think?"_

"_Why did you shave your head, Sekio?" Haru asked._

"_Huh? Oh! No I didn't shave it. There was this guy I had to capture, but then he blew up the building we were in with some gasoline and a cigarette lighter. If I hadn't got out of their in time, the fire would have burnt my whole head." Sekio patted his bald head. "It'll take a while to grow back."_

"_How come it doesn't take a long time with my hair?"Haru muttered. Silence. "Hey, brother?"_

"_Yes? What is it?"_

"_Thanks." Sekio blinked._

"_You mean for the daily assault on your life?"_

"_I er...I just felt like saying it. That's all." Sekio patted Haru on the head._

"_You're a strange kid, bro. You know that." A man wearing a red uniform approached Sekio. "Eh? A messenger?" The messenger whispered to Sekio. After several seconds, the messenger bowed and ran off. "Kagehoshi wants to see me." Sekio indicated a pair of large oak double doors. "Wait here." Sekio pushed one of the doors open and walked in, closing the door behind him. Haru was left alone. With a sigh, he leaned on the wall and waited. Several minutes passed by, and there was still no sign of Sekio._

"_Man. What the heck's taking him so long?" Haru moved away from the wall and towards the doors. He raised a hand to knock, but hesitated._

_No, what am I doing? Haru thought. I can't just knock without an excuse._

"_I won't allow it!" Haru gasped._

_That's Sekio! He thought. Haru saw a small crack between the two doors. He peeked through, and saw Kagehoshi sitting on a crystal throne, while Sekio stood in front of her._

"_That's no way to talk to your master." Kagehoshi said calmly, resting her head on the back of her hand._

"_How can you act so calm when you've told me something like that?!"Sekio shouted. "This isn't just any soldier we're talking about!"_

"_Number nine, I know this may seem hard for you, but you must put aside your personal issues and accept it. That person has to die."_

_What're they talking about? Haru thought._

"_There's got to be another way. Choose someone else! I don't care who, just don't let that person be killed."_

"_Come on, he's already had his life on the line everyday. But I assign him tasks that aren't supposed to get him killed. I can be kind too, you know. However, lately, he's been trying my patience." Kagehoshi stood up from her throne and moved towards Sekio. "You remember our motto right? You are the strong, and he is the weak. The weak must be destroyed."_

"_But he's been improving. I know he has." Sekio protested. Kagehoshi was silent._

"_Someday, he's going to have to die. And until that day comes, I want you to act like nothing is wrong." Kagehoshi turned around and walked back towards her throne. "There will be no warning as to when he will die, but if all attempts fail, then it will become a mission to one of the Juusenshi." Kagehoshi sat back down. "You are dismissed."_

"_Shoot!" Haru hissed. He ran back to the wall and leaned on it. Several seconds later, Sekio opened the door, looking rather dazed. "Oh. Hey, big brother. What took you so long? Was it important?" Haru asked, forcing a smile._

"_Uh…no. Nothing important." Sekio shrugged._

"_Are you sure?"_

"_Yeah. No worries." Sekio placed an arm around Haru's shoulders. "Come on. We'd better go." Sekio and Haru walked away, but Haru sneaked a glance at the oak doors, before he turned back around and carried on walking._

_..._

"_Sekio!"_

"_Huh?" Sekio, in his twenties, turned around, and saw Haru running up to him. "Bro?" Haru finally caught up to him. "What's wrong?"_

"_Oh…er…" Haru cringed, embarrassed. "I can't remember." Sekio laughed._

"_It's been five years and you haven't changed a bit."_

"_I've got taller! That counts!" Haru protested. Sekio placed a hand on Haru's head._

"_My hand is the same size as your head."_

"_You just got a bigger growth spurt than me." Haru shrugged off Sekio's hand. "I'm not a little kid anymore."_

"_Maybe, but you're still my kid brother."_

"_Yeah, I guess." There was a brief silence. "Sekio?"_

"_Yes?"_

"_You got back from your mission, right? Are you okay?"_

"_I suppose." Sekio shrugged._

"_Oh…okay. Thanks." Haru turned around._

"_Was that what you wanted to ask me?" Sekio asked. Haru stopped walking._

"_Well…yeah. I don't get to go on dangerous missions like you do. I'm always…well…I'm worried about you." Haru turned around. "You've got to take better care of yourself."_

"_I came back alive, right?"_

"_I know, but someday you might fail. And we've already got a strike each." Haru's fist clenched. "If something happened to you then…" Haru turned away. "I wouldn't know what to do."_

"_Haru." Sekio placed a hand on Haru's shoulder. "You're a good kid, you know that?"_

"_I'm not a kid!" Haru exclaimed, red faced._

"_Technically, you still are."_

"_Seventeen isn't a child!"_

"_It is."_

"_Is not!" _

"_Is too."_

"_Is not!" Sekio suddenly burst out laughing, surprising Haru._

"_Look at us, arguing in the corridor. It's almost as if it's back in the old days." Haru blinked in surprise. He smiled to himself sadly._

"_Yeah. I guess it is."_

"_Master Sekio!"_

"_Eh?" A messenger ran up to Sekio, clutching an envelope._

"_Here is your next mission."_

"_Already?!" Sekio exclaimed, taking the envelope. "Dismissed." The messenger bowed and ran off again. "I hope it's not another kidnapping. I really hate those missions." Sekio opened the envelope, and read the details inside it. His eyes widened._

"_Sekio? What's wrong?" Haru asked. Sekio didn't respond, and continued staring at the letter. "Say something!" Haru still didn't get a response. "Big brother!" Haru yelled._

"_Uh…yeah?" Sekio said, still shocked._

"_Is…is something wrong?"_

"_It's a mission. An assassination."_

"_What's wrong with it?" Sekio screwed the letter up into a ball. "Sekio?!"_

"_I'm refusing the mission."Sekio threw the ball onto the floor._

"_What?! Sekio, you know you can't do that! Remember what happened last time?!"_

"_Of course I do. How could I not? It's just that…I can't do this one. Not this time."_

"_Then I'll do it."_

"_What?!" Sekio gasped._

"_If you can't do it, then I'll do it in your place."_

"_Bro, you know you can't do an assassination. Not with your-"_

"_I don't care if I faint afterwards. I don't want us to get another strike, because we have to stick together." Sekio opened his mouth to protest again, but seeing the determination in Haru's eyes, closed it._

"_Haru…you…" Sekio started. He sighed. "You can't do the assassination."_

"_But…why not?" Sekio turned away._

"_Because…this assassination would be suicide."_

"…" _Haru was quiet for a moment. "Wait, does that mean there's a chance the target could kill you?"_

"_No. Because I am refusing it."_

"_But-"_

"_I won't do it! I can't!" Sekio suddenly blurted out. His eyes widened. "Ah, sorry. I guess I'm still tired from the last one. I'm going to our room." Sekio walked past a silent Haru, who remained on that spot until Sekio turned the corner and disappeared. Several minutes passed by, and Haru hadn't moved._

"_What do you mean Sekio?" Haru asked nobody. "Why won't you tell me?"_

"_Hey bro!"_

"_Yes?" Haru looked over his shoulder. Sekio was peering around the corner at him._

"_I refused the mission, but I've got a new one now! You know that girl Kagehoshi kidnapped? Apparently some people are coming to rescue her, so my mission is to stop them!"_

"_Oh…okay. Just be careful, alright?!" Sekio laughed._

"_Haru, I'm always careful!"_

...

"I didn't think Armstrong would get attacked with his own weapon, let alone be defeated. But, I did find my brother, so I guess it's even." Hassleberry raised an arm in front of Haru protectively.

"What are you saying?" Hassleberry asked.

"It means it was all a decoy." Aster said. "Armstrong was used to find us. Even if it was the wrong place, we would always end up there somehow, allowing Nevara to come out. She knows we would never leave unless Haru has at least one of us with him. That's how she put together this plan." Aster turned to Nevara. "Any mistakes?" Nevara clapped sarcastically.

"Bravo, phoenix." She said flatly. "Pretty clever, aren't you? But you figured it out too late. I'm already here, so hand Haru over."

"As if!" Jesse yelled.

"We'll never hand him over to you!" Jesse yelled.

"Yeah, what he said!" Syrus cheered. Nevara shot him an icy glare, making Syrus flinch.

"So, Truesdale. Where's that girl?"

"Er…you mean Meno?"

"Yes. Where is she?"

"She's at home."

"That was dumb. You should never leave her alone. You never know when a monster like her will strike." Syrus clenched his fist. "She killed your father and ruined your life. Why is she even living with you? Are you suicidal?"

"SHUT UP!!" Syrus yelled so loudly, a flock of birds flew out of the trees around them, and surprised the gang. Even Nevara was a little nervous.

"Wow. Syrus has a dark side." Aster muttered.

"Scary." Hassleberry agreed.

"So what if Meno killed my dad? I don't care! Meno is…" Syrus hesitated. "Meno is my friend."

"How touching." Nevara said sarcastically. "You're an unusual one, Truesdale. You act tough, yet I haven't seen you fight. Is it because you're scared?" Syrus was silent. "Maybe that's why you're defending Meno. Maybe it's because you're afraid of losing her? No wait, it's not that. It's because you're denying what Mariko made you remember. You're afraid to accept the truth because you refuse to believe that the girl you know is a cold hearted killer."

"That's enough!"

"Eh?" Haru stepped past Hassleberry's defence and stood in front of the group.

"Leave Syrus out of it." Haru said firmly.

"Haru, what are you doing?" Aiko asked. "It's dangerous. You'll be killed."

"I appreciate you guys trying to protect me, but at times like this, I can't stand by and let my sister hurt my friends."

"Hmmm…" Nevara narrowed my eyes.

"Look, Nevara, I'm the one you want, right? If you have something to say, then go ahead. Fire away."

"I have nothing to say to you." Nevara said. "I am only here to eliminate you. But…there's something that interests me." She glanced at Haru's friends. "Why do you want to protect those brats?"

"Because…" Haru started. "Because…my brother did the same thing for me. I guess it must have rubbed off on me, because now, I want to protect my friends more than ever." Nevara looked down at the ground, shaking. Suddenly, she threw back her head and burst into demonic laughter. Haru stepped back in surprise, the laugh scaring him slightly.

"Man, what's with her?" Jesse wondered out loud. Nevara stopped laughing, but she was still grinning.

"You honestly think Sekio always protected you?! Oh, Haru, you're a funny one! Keep this up and I may die of laughter!" Nevara burst out laughing again.

"Stop it! What's so funny? Give me an answer, dammit!" Haru shouted.

"Haru, since you insisted, I'll tell you." Nevara said, calming down again, though she was still smiling. "But I must warn you; the truth will shock you."

"I don't care. Just spit it out already, I'm sick of being in the dark all the time." Nevara's expression became serious.

"Fine. Here are some questions for you to answer. Question one: What is Miss Miranda's motto?"

"What? What's this got to do with anything?" Haru asked, confused.

"Just answer the question."

"Alright, alright. The strong will rise, and the weak will fall. But I don't see how-"

"Question two." Nevara interrupted. "Has Sekio ever refused a mission after your parents died?" Haru's eyes widened.

"Y…yes. He did."

"Question three: what was that mission?"

"An assassination." Haru shook his head quickly. "Wait a minute, this has nothing to do with anything."

"Oh yes, it does, little brother." Nevara began to pace left and right slowly, her hands behind her back. "You do know that you weren't one of the strongest soldiers there right? You only did well on a mission once in a blue moon. This is where the motto comes in, so pay attention." Haru could only watch as his sister continued pacing. "Miss Miranda saw you as a burden to everyone and an unnecessary recruit. So she decided to get rid of you…without the need for strikes. She tried many things, but your brother was smart, and never let you out of his sight. He even brought you along to some missions he was doing, even though you fainted after some of them."

"Get to the point!" Haru snapped, impatient.

"Now now. No need to get frustrated. Miss Miranda found it a bother that Sekio was always protecting you. She was unable to find an opportunity to get rid of you." She smiled. "Until a few days later. Now, this is where your brother gets involved. Remember the refused mission?"

"…" Haru nodded. Nevara stopped pacing, and twirled some blue hair around her finger.

"Put what I told you, the motto and the refused mission together. What do you get?"

"Hmmm," Jesse counted his fingers, trying to figure it out.

"She's got me." Jaden shrugged.

"I'm clueless too." Hiruko said.

"I don't understand." Haru said, narrowing his eyes. "Stop talking in riddles already."

"No. It's more fun this way. Here's another clue; did Sekio say anything unusual after receiving that mission?"

"No, he…" Haru didn't finish his sentence, remembering what Sekio said.

"_This assassination would be suicide."_

"He told you the mission would be suicide, right?" Nevara asked. "Back then, you thought that it meant he could die doing the mission, or that you would die if you tried it. But you're wrong." Nevara tossed some blue hair over her shoulder. "Those are all the clues I'm giving you. Can you figure it out?"

"No!" Haru shook his head. "None of it makes sense to me!"

"You really are stupid!" Nevara exclaimed. "Even the phoenix boy can't figure it out! Look, think about it. The refused mission, the hatred you endured, the motto, don't you think that maybe they're all linked?!"

"You only told me they were! What I don't get is why!" Haru snapped. Nevara turned away slightly.

"This is the answer you are looking for. The mission Sekio was given and refused was very simple." Nevara was silent for a moment. She turned back to Haru and grinned. "Kill Haru Kinoshita."

"!!!" Haru and the gang were all shocked at what Nevara said.

"No way!" Hiruko exclaimed.

"That's horrible!" Selena whispered.

"W…what?" Was all Haru was able to say. Nevara laughed again.

"It's true! It's all true! Sekio's mission was to kill you!"

"You're lying!" Haru shook his head, his eyes squeezed shut.

"I can assure you it's the truth!" Nevara grinned. "The next mission was to stop phoenix boy, but being defeated by dino-boy sealed his fate!"

"Stop it! You're lying! YOU'RE LYING!" Haru clutched his head.

"You heard him! Leave him alone!" Hassleberry snapped. He went to Haru's side. "Haru! Are you-ouch!" Hassleberry jerked his hands away from Haru as soon as he touched Haru's shoulders. "What the…" Hassleberry looked at his slightly burned hands. "Why did I get burned?"

"Burned? That's impossible." Nevara said.

_Wait!_ She thought. _If Haru is in shock, then…_She looked up at Haru. _Could it be…?_

"It can't be true! It can't be! No!" Haru's eyes opened. The brown colour in his eyes suddenly turned yellow, and his pupils became slits. "No…"

"Haru?" Hassleberry asked nervously.

"NOOOOOOOOO!!!" A burst of blue energy erupted around Haru as soon as he screamed, knocking Hassleberry into a tree.

"What the heck's going on?!" Aster yelled, bracing himself from the impact of the energy.

_I knew it!_ Nevara thought, staring at Haru. _He must have that power! The shock of what I told him must have triggered it! Haru has the gargoyle state! It's too dangerous for me to stay. I have to get out of here!_ Nevara teleported away, but nobody noticed.

"What's happening?" Aiko shouted.

"Why are you asking us?! You think we know?!" Syrus shouted back.

"Selena, you have to get out of here." Jesse told Selena, who was clinging to his shirt.

"I'm not leaving you." Selena protested.

"What's that?" Hiruko pointed at the blue pillar of energy. A shadow appeared inside it. "Is that Haru?" The blue energy dispersed, and a completely different Haru stood before them.

"KYAAAAAAAHH!!" Selena screamed.

"What the..." Aster managed to say. From behind, everyone could see that Haru's skin colour had changed to a clammy grey colour, there were claws on his hands and his ears were pointed at the tips. But, the most notable part of Haru's transformation was the grey bat-like wings on his back, but his clothes were not torn in the slightest. Haru turned around to face the gang. His eyes had changed from brown to yellow, with slits for pupils, and his teeth had sharpened into fangs.

"What...happened?" Jesse asked.

"Are those..." Aiko started. "Wings?"

"What is he?" Selena whispered.

"Um..." Hassleberry started nervously, standing up. "Haru?" Four small pulses surrounded Haru, and stone daggers shot up into the air beside him. They pointed towards the gang, and shot towards them.

"WAH!" Syrus ducked as one whistled past his head.

"Get down!" Jaden grabbed Hiruko and they both ducked onto the ground

"Selena! Run!" Jesse yelled, forcing both of themselves down.

"I told you, I'm not leaving you." Selena said.

_Why is he attacking us?_ Aster thought. He looked up at Haru. Haru unfolded all fifteen feet of his wings. Aster stood up, ready for an attack. Suddenly, Haru appeared behind him, and his claws slashed Aster's back. He let out a gasp of pain and collapsed on the ground.

"What the…what was that?" Jaden asked, his arm around Hiruko.

"Yeah. I blinked and the next thing I knew, Haru was behind Aster." Hiruko said.

"Are you okay, private?" Hassleberry asked. Aster sat up.

"I'm okay…I think. Just give me a bit and I can help." But, Haru kicked him on the side and sent Aster flying. Aster eventually stopped several metres away where he rammed painfully into a tree. As soon as he slid onto the ground, the tree he hit fell backwards onto the ground.

"Wow. Not only is he faster, but he's stronger." Jesse muttered.

"But why attack us?" Aiko wondered. Suddenly, Haru grabbed Aiko's throat. He lifted her off the ground as she clutched his arm. She opened one eye.

"Haru…don't you recognise me?" She choked out. "It's me…Aiko." Haru responded by tightening his grip. Jesse aimed an arrow on his bow and fired it at Haru, but it bounced off his arm and onto the ground.

"Eh?" Jesse stared at the arrow, dumbfounded. "It just bounced right off." Haru stood on the arrow, snapping it. "Er...I don't want any trouble."

"My turn!" Syrus quickly activated his sword and attempted a strike, but when the sword touched Haru's skin, there wasn't a single scratch on it. "You've GOT to be kidding me!" Haru grabbed Syrus' head and slammed him into the ground.

"Sy!" Jesse tried to interfere, but Haru let go of his head and turned back towards Jesse. "Uh oh."

_I've got to help him!_ Selena thought. She clutched her necklace. Her body glowed, and within seconds, she was in her guardian form with her wand in her hand. She waved her wand above her head, creating a stream of water in the air, and she threw it at Haru, stunning him enough to drop Aiko.

"Aiko, you've got to transform." Selena said. Aiko looked up, a hand on her throat.

"But...it's Haru. I don't want to hurt him." She said quietly.

"He's hurt enough as it is." Selena glanced at Haru sadly, who was recovering from the attack. "Look at him. Behind that monster, he's hurting. We have to bring him back, because he's losing control of that...thing." Aiko stood up.

"Yeah..." She said reluctantly. "You're right." Aiko's bracelet glowed, and she transformed into her guardian form. "I hope nobody sees us." Hiruko leapt up and grabbed Haru's arm. He held tight as Haru tried to shake him off, but Hiruko refused to let go, and tried to pin his arm behind Haru's back.

"Stop...moving...!" Hiruko grumbled. "Haru...snap out of it...! Someone's going to get...hurt!"

"I think you're a little late there, Hiruko!" Aster yelled, sitting up. "There's already been one to face his wrath!"

"WAH!" Hiruko fell off Haru as he raised his wings up. "He's not thinking of taking off, is he?" As soon as Haru left the ground, he vanished.

"What the...where'd he go?" Jaden looked around, trying to find Haru. "Boy, he's slippery."

"LOOK OUT!" Jesse pushed Jaden away from where he stood, and in that instant, Haru slashed at Jesse's chest. He dropped down onto his knees, clutching his injury.

"Jesse!" Selena ran to Jesse's side.

"Nah, I'm okay. Haru was about to attack Jaden. This is nothing compared to what Jaden would have faced."

_Ba-bump!_

Jesse suddenly erupted into a coughing fit with his hands covering his mouth.

"Jesse!" Selena cried.

"Well this isn't any better!" Jesse moaned, before he started coughing again.

"An attack?" Jaden asked. "Oh no. Not now." Jaden shook his head. "Catalina, I hate you so much right now."

"Bro! Watch out!" Hiruko shouted.

"Huh?" Jaden looked to his right, and was suddenly forced off his feet by a powerful back fist across his head, sending him flying towards Aster. Aster stood up, and was knocked to the ground again by Jaden.

"Owie. He's strong." Jaden muttered, rubbing his head.

"Okay I get it. It hurt. Now get off me."

"Jaden!" Aiko yelled. Her bow materialised in her right hand, and she aimed an arrow on it at Haru. Haru turned to look at her, and narrowed his yellow eyes. Aiko's eyes widened.

_They're the Eyes of Illusion!_ She thought. _Does that mean he can see through all of our attacks?_ She shook her head. _No! I can't think that! I've got to help everyone!_ Her grip on the bow string loosened, but she tightened it again. _So...why am I hesitating?_ Before she could react, Haru was in front of her. She gasped and closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable. Nothing happened. Nervously, she inched an eye open, until she opened the second one. Haru had a clawed hand raised, but he wasn't lowering it.

"What the..." Hiruko started. Aiko made her bow and arrow disappear and stared into Haru's face. She gasped. His eyes were back to their original brown colour.

"Haru...?" She whispered. Hassleberry watched what was happening from a distance.

_Dammit...why aren't I doing anything?_ Hassleberry thought. _I want to help, but...I can't move. Is this what they call fear?_

"Is that you?" Aiko asked.

"A...Aiko." Haru whispered. Without warning, his eye colour changed again to the yellow one. Haru snarled at Aiko, and swatted her away from him, sending her skidding across the grass. Aiko sat up.

_For one moment, the real Haru came through._ She thought. Haru turned to Jesse, raised his wings and took off towards him. Jesse looked up, and his eyes widened with a gasp. But, before Haru could strike a killing blow, Hassleberry stood in front of Jesse in a protective stance, forcing Haru to stop and land back onto the ground.

"What do you think you're doing, Hassleberry?!" Syrus yelled, standing up and brushing the dirt off his yellow jacket.

_Is he insane?_ Aiko thought. _He saw what Haru could do like this, so what makes him think he stands a chance?_

"Listen, Haru." Hassleberry said. "You've gotta snap out of this, or you'll kill someone." Whilst Hassleberry spoke Haru's body shook, until he let out a huge, frightening roar.

_Slash!_

"!!" Everyone almost forgot to breathe after what happened. All that was before them was Hassleberry flying behind Haru after an attack. Haru's claws on his right hand were dripping with blood, and Hassleberry hit the ground and rolled across it away from Haru. On his chest were five deep claw marks.

"Ha...ru..." Hassleberry choked out, before he blacked out.

"Hassleberry!" Jaden, Aster, Syrus and Jesse immediately ran to Hassleberry's side. "Sarge! Hang on!" Haru ignored them and took a step towards Hiruko, who prepared himself. Haru suddenly stopped, eyes wide.

"URGH!" Haru clutched his head, and staggered this way and that.

"What?" Hiruko said.

"What's happening?" Aster asked.

"UH...AH..." Haru's grip on his head tightened, and his body shook. "AAAAAAAAAGH!!" During this final yell, there was another blast of blue energy around Haru. The shockwaves sent Aiko, Selena and Hiruko flying. Jaden ran in front of Hiruko and caught him, Aster grabbed Aiko and Selena landed on Jesse. The blast disappeared as quickly as it went, and Haru was back to his original skin tone, the wings were gone, and the claws and pointed ears had vanished. His hair hid his eyes, and he dropped onto his knees with the hands still on his blonde head.

"Is he...?" Aiko started. Haru looked up, and his eyes were no longer yellow. Instead, they were his usual brown colour. Aiko breathed a sigh of relief.

"What the... Where'd Nevara go?" Haru looked around him, and Nevara was nowhere to be found. Haru stood up, but kept his right hand on his head. He saw a broken tree trunk on his right, which was caused by Aster ramming into it. "Hey..." Haru turned to Aiko and pointed at the tree. "What happened there?" Aiko's eyes widened.

_He...he doesn't remember._ She thought. _That means..._ She looked at Hassleberry, who was once again surrounded by Aster, Jaden, Syrus and Jesse.

"Aiko...what happened?" Haru asked again, getting worried. "And what are you doing transformed? Did Nevara attack you? And if she did..." Haru turned away. "Why don't I remember?"

"Oh, Haru." Aiko whispered, trembling.

"Aiko," Haru got down on one knee in front of Aiko. "Tell me what happened."

"You really can't remember, can you?"

"Well...I can remember up to when Nevara was talking to me...the rest is just a blur." Haru placed his right hand on her shoulder. "What happened here?"

"Haru…" Aiko started in quiet voice. "Look at your hand."

"Huh?" Haru looked at his right hand, and his eyes widened. "GAH!" Haru stood up and recoiled in horror. The tips of his fingers were coated with blood. "Aiko…what happened to me? And why is there blood on my hand?" Aiko turned away, her eyes closed. "Aiko? Please…you have to tell me. You're starting to scare me. Hassleberry, what…" Haru looked up, and noticed that he couldn't see Hassleberry anywhere. "Where's Hassleberry? Is he okay?" He asked, frantic.

"No." Aiko answered, standing up. "He's over there." Aiko pointed to where the rest of the gang were, who were arguing amongst themselves about what to do.

"Hassleberry?" Haru made his way to the group, but stopped at what he saw. "No..." He stared at Hassleberry, wide eyed and shaking.

"HASSLEBERRY!!"

**HAHAHA!! Am I evil or what? Don't worry guys, I'm not gonna kill Hassleberry off...or am I? Just as a warning, I might not update for a while, seeing as I've got exams and all, but you might have exams too, so we could all do with a break, ne? Stay tuned!**


	23. Chapter 23: Visitor

**Well, I just checked my polls for who's the most popular character. It turns out that Jesse, Aster and "someone else" are tied. I can't really say I'm not surprised, 'cos I am. But hey, at least Meno is the only OC that's popular (she's ranked second for those of you who don't know) so that's a good thing. Truth be told, Meno is one of my favourite OC's too, I mean...she's just so CUTE! I wonder who the "someone else" is. Aiko? Jaden? Syrus? Meh. Guess it's time to put up the "What's your favourite part of the Phoenix Warrior series?" poll and see what that gets! Enough of that, let's see if Hassleberry will be okay!**

Chapter 23

Visitor

_Wh... What's going on? Everything's dark. Am I dead?_

"Aster, you've got Hannah's powers! Get rid of the wound!"

"R-right! Gah, I don't know how!"

"Great, now what do we do?"

"We'll just have to call Hannah."

"It'll probably be too late by then!"

"Well excuse me for not knowing how to heal!"

"What about the time you brought your dad back to life?"

"That was an accident and you know it!"

"Now you're telling me you had no intention of bringing your father back?"

"How the hell was I supposed to know that poem was a resurrection enchantment?"

_Jaden? Aster? Is that them? I can hear them... but I can't see them._

"Guys, cut it out!"

"Don't you dare die, Hassleberry! Who will I argue with over Jaden if you go?"

_Jesse and Syrus too? Are they there?_ Hassleberry managed to inch one eye open slightly, but nobody noticed. Hassleberry's vision wasn't very clear, and all he saw was black silhouettes of people around him.

"How far away is it back?" A silhouette with blue fairy wings asked.

"Ten minutes at best."

"That's no good!" Hassleberry could just about make out a small boy kick a tree in frustration.

"Hiruko!" Another shadow stood up and went to Hiruko.

_That had to be Jaden. I know it was._

"Aw man, what do we do?" Hassleberry heard Jesse say.

"HASSLEBERRY!"

_Huh? Who's that?_ Another silhouette dropped onto their knees beside Hassleberry.

"This is all my fault! I'm the one who did this!"

"That's not true. It's Nevara's fault for provoking you." Aster said.

"I know but…I was the one who hurt you. Because of me, Hassleberry is going to die! He's going to die and it's all my fault!" Another silhouette ran up to the figure and hugged them tightly. Hassleberry's vision became better, and he could tell it was Aiko.

_Aiko? Then that means… _He turned his attention to the person she was hugging. It was Haru, and despite the hand hiding his eyes, Hassleberry could tell that he was crying.

_Haru…why are you crying?_ Hassleberry thought, before everything went black.

…

3 days later

"THE STEGO SAW US!" Hassleberry yelled, sitting up so quickly, he lost his balance and fell out of the queen sized bed onto the floor, hitting his head on the bedside table in the process. "Ow." He attempted to sit up again, but a black digital clock fell off the table and hit his head. "DAH!" Hassleberry fell back onto the floor.

"Ow." Hassleberry moaned again, sitting up. His eyes widened. "Hey wait a…" He placed a hand on his chest. There were no signs of an injury. "Wasn't I…?" He peered down his shirt. "No scars." Hassleberry stood up scratching his head. "Guess they managed to help me after all." He saw his black combat boots beside his bed. Hassleberry sat down on the bed and began pulling them on.

_But still…_ Hassleberry thought, pausing on the second boot. He thought back to the attack, and then to the grief-stricken Haru. _I hope he's alright._ He shook his head quickly and stood up, pulling the other boot on in the process.

"Ah, I'm sure he's fine!" He reassured himself. "I'd better tell everyone that I'm okay. I must've been asleep for ages. I'm starving! Huh?" It was then that Hassleberry noticed that he wasn't alone. Haru was sitting on a chair that was pulled up beside the bed. Haru's arms were folded on the bed and his head was resting on top with his eyes closed.

_He's asleep…_ Hassleberry thought. _How long have I been out anyway? _He glanced at the digital clock on the floor. It read 9:23 AM. _It doesn't look like long._ He looked back at the asleep Haru. _Has he been there this whole time?_

"Oi, Haru. How long are you going to sleep like that?" Hassleberry shook Haru's shoulder gently. "You'll get backache if you stay that way." Hassleberry removed his hand just as Haru's eyes twitched and opened. Haru sat up, rubbing his eyes sleepily.

"Is it morning already?" He muttered to himself.

"Rise and shine, sleepy head!" Hassleberry said cheerfully, smiling. Haru's eyes widened. He looked to his left, and as soon as he spotted Hassleberry, he stood up so suddenly that the chair fell over on its back. Haru backed away from Hassleberry, eyes wide. "Haru? Are you…are you okay?"

"I…" Haru started. He turned away. "It's nothing."

"That's a lie." Haru looked up again, surprised. "I can tell just by looking at you. You're far from alright."

"Well I…" Haru started, but he hesitated. He turned away from Hassleberry again. "I…" Haru's right hand clenched into a fist. "It's about what happened."

"What're you…oh, right. The attack. What about it?" Haru closed his eyes tightly. "Haru?"

"I…" Haru opened his eyes and turned back to Hassleberry. "I'm sorry." Haru felt a tear run down his face, and he gasped. Hassleberry saw it, and walked towards Haru. "What's wrong with me? It's just an apology, so why am I crying?" Haru brought his hands up to his eyes, but Hassleberry was already in front of him. Before Haru could react, Hassleberry pulled him into a comforting hug. "Hassleberry..."

"It's alright." Hassleberry said. Haru's eyes widened. "That's what my dad would say to me. Whenever I was sad, he'd give me a hug and tell me it's alright. I always made me feel better, but I know that just saying "it's alright" to you won't help as much. So, is there anything I can do to help you?" Haru was too stunned to say anything. He stiffened and clung to the fabric of Hassleberry's shirt. "Well?"

"Hassleberry..." Haru gently pushed Hassleberry out of the embrace and turned away slightly, clutching his arms. "Do you...do you ever get scared?"

"Do I get scared?" Hassleberry repeated, surprised.

"Yeah. Do you ever get so scared that you want to die?"

"Well I...um...I guess I do. I mean, even the bravest of soldiers get scared sometimes. Why do you ask?" Haru clenched the sleeves of his checked shirt, his hair hid his eyes and his body shook. Without warning, Haru brought his hands up to his eyes and burst into tears. "Haru!" Hassleberry reached out to Haru.

"It's..." Hassleberry hesitated as Haru spoke between sobs. "It's because...because...I'm scared! I don't know what to do anymore! If I lose control again...you and everyone else might...I'm scared! I'm scared, Hassleberry! I'm so scared, I can't take it!" Haru brought the heel of his left hand to his closed eyes, the tears continuously streaming out and his body still shaking. "I know that guys aren't supposed to cry over things like this... but I just...Who knows when that thing might come out of me again? And if that happens...then you'll all die and it will be all my fault! That thought...that possibility...it scares me! It scares me so much!" Hassleberry was stunned into silence, whilst Haru carried on crying. Hassleberry smiled and placed a hand on Haru's shoulder. Haru opened his streaming eyes and looked up at Hassleberry, stunned.

"It's alright." Hassleberry said again. "You shouldn't worry about something like this. Just because you've got some monster inside of you doesn't mean I'm ever going to look at you any differently."

"..." Haru's tear-filled eyes shone as he carried on staring at Hassleberry, who grinned cheerfully.

"You could be a vampire or an alien for all I care, and that wouldn't change the fact that you're my best friend, and I'll never turn my back on you. And if anyone else does, well, I'll just pound the living crap out of 'em!" Hassleberry brought a hand up and gently wiped away the tears from Haru's left eye. Hassleberry gave Haru a warmer smile. "I don't care that there's a monster inside of you. It could very well help us in our task of saving private Phoenix's mom. You're Haru, and that's something a pair of wings can never change."

"But Hassleberry…" Haru wiped away the rest of his tears with the heel of his hand until he was dry-eyed. "What if I do lose control again? You could die!"

"Still won't change anything." Hassleberry shook his head. "I know you, Haru, and I know that, even though you haven't known us for very long, you care about your friends a lot. Guess what: those friends care about you too. And like me, they would never leave your side if you lost control, even if it killed them." Hassleberry placed a hand on his previously injured chest. "Besides, I'm okay, right? You should at least be grateful for that. Your friends and my friends helped me, and I'm sure they'll do the same for you." Haru stared at Hassleberry for several moments, before he smiled to himself, reassured.

"How come you always know what I want to hear?" Haru asked.

"I'm not sure. I just thought that you needed someone to cheer you up. Don't you remember what I said?"

"Huh?"

"I guess I wasn't as clear as I thought I was." Hassleberry scratched his head. He shrugged. "Well, I'll just have to say it again. If one of us is happy, we'll share it with one another. If we're unhappy, we'll comfort each other. If one of us falls off the right path, then the other will be there to help them pick up the pieces. Through the highs and lows, friends stick together no matter what!" Hassleberry grinned. "That's something I learned when I met Jaden, and I think you should know it too!" Haru eyes were wide after Hassleberry's speech.

"_You can talk to me about any problems you may have, okay? 'Cause that's what best buds do!"_

"Hassleberry!" Before Haru could stop himself, he had already clung to Hassleberry's shirt and started crying into it again. Hassleberry wrapped his arms around Haru in another comforting hug. Smiling to himself, Hassleberry placed a hand on the back of Haru's blonde head.

_Hassleberry…Thank you…_

…

Hassleberry opened the door out of the bedroom and closed it behind him. He leaned on the door and slid down his back until he was sitting on the floor.

"Whew." Hassleberry sighed. "Haru was a mess. But at least he's a little better now."

"Finally awake, huh?"

"WAAAAAHHH!" Hassleberry jumped off the floor after hearing Aster's voice. He spun around to face Aster, who was leaning on the wall with his arms folded. "Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"I've been here the whole time." Aster said innocently, smirking. "You were just too spaced out to even notice." Hassleberry cringed. "Anyway, how do you feel?"

"Fine a guess."

"Phew. I was worried I'd screwed up." Hassleberry stared at Aster, dumbfounded.

"Hold on. You healed me?"

"Yeah." Aster answered cheerfully. "My powers are stronger, so I thought I'd give it a shot."

"You were experimenting?" Hassleberry exclaimed. "I was this close to dying again, private phoenix!"

"Come on, at least it worked."

"I suppose." Hassleberry admitted.

"How is he?"

"Huh?" Aster moved his gaze to the door Hassleberry had left.

"Haru. Is he okay?" Aster asked again. Hassleberry glanced at the floor.

"I'm not sure. He seems okay now, but before he was really troubled. Right now, he's asleep."

"Oh?" Aster cocked his head to the side.

"He got really emotional in there, and he looks like he only got an hour of rest, so I guess he cried himself to sleep." Aster's eyes widened.

"Hassleberry…do you know how long you've been out?"

"About a few hours?" Hassleberry guessed. Aster moved away from the wall, shocked. "What? The attack was yesterday right?"

"You really have no idea, do you? Hassleberry, that was three days ago."

"!" Hassleberry almost did a double take in shock. "What? I've been out for that long? Then…"

"Yeah." Aster nodded. "Haru hasn't left that room the entire time you were out. He hasn't been able to get a wink of sleep, and he's hardly touched any form of food." Hassleberry looked down.

"I had no idea." Was all Hassleberry managed to say. "I didn't know that he was beating himself up like that."

"It's not your fault." Hassleberry looked up again. "I just read your mind, and you think it's your fault, but it's not. In fact, I don't think it's anyone's fault really. I mean, Haru has been rather depressed since he attacked you, so I don't blame him either. Just…don't worry about him too much." Aster began to walk past Hassleberry to the exit into the flat. "And if he is still troubled when he wakes up, make sure you do all you can to help him, okay?" Aster left the passageway, leaving Hassleberry alone.

"Haru…" Hassleberry said to himself. He spotted a pole similar to the ones Haru used during a fight. He picked it up and examined it. He ginned to himself. "Well, since Haru's asleep, and I've got nothing better to do, I might as well try his fighting style."

Several hours later

"OW!" Hassleberry yelled as the pole hit him square in the face for the umpteenth time. "Dammit, I screwed up again. Okay, I'll try again." Hassleberry picked up the pole again and spun it around in his hand. "Okay, so far so good. WHOA!" The pole suddenly spun around incredibly quickly, and Hassleberry had to walk in circles to try and keep in control. It then shot out of his hand and jammed itself into the wall. "Dammit!" Hassleberry ran to the pole, grabbed it with both hands and began to pull it. Meanwhile, Haru walked out of the bedroom, rubbing his eyes.

"I fell asleep again." He grumbled.

"Dang it!"

"Eh?" Haru blinked in surprise, and saw Hassleberry trying unsuccessfully to pull a pole out of the wall. Hassleberry planted both feet on the wall and tried to pull it out again.

"Come on…! Stupid…thing! AH!" The pole eventually came out, but Hassleberry ended up rolling backwards as a result and slammed painfully into another wall, upside down. "Ow…! He groaned, before falling face down onto the floor.

"Pfft." Haru hid his smile behind his hand, trying extremely hard not to laugh. Hassleberry jumped to his feet. "Alright. I seem to have speed under control, now I've just gotta keep it in my hand." Hassleberry moved back to the centre of the room "Here I go!" The pole spun around quickly in his hand. "If I can keep this up for five minutes then…Gah!" Hassleberry almost dropped the pole again, and it spun even faster, causing Hassleberry to stumble left and right. Haru found it even harder to contain his laughter. "WAH!" The pole shot up out of Hassleberry's hand. Hassleberry stood still on the spot, confused. "Where'd it go?" Hassleberry looked left and right. He then saw a trickle of rubble fall in front of him. He looked up slowly, and the pole was stuck in the ceiling. "I think it's gonna stay like that." He muttered, dumbfounded.

"AHAHAHAHAHA! I can't take it! Hassleberry...you're...you're...!" Hassleberry turned around, and saw Haru clutching his sides and laughing his head off.

"What's so funny?" Hassleberry yelled.

"Ah, sorry sorry." Haru gasped, trying unsuccessfully to stop laughing. "It's just that…with that rod…it was just so funny!" Haru eventually calmed down, but he was still smiling. "Pretty stupid, huh?" Hassleberry stared at Haru.

"_And if he is still troubled when he wakes up, make sure you do all you can to help him, okay?"_

_Looks like he doesn't need it, private._ Hassleberry thought, grinning.

"Er, Haru? Can you…?" Hassleberry pointed at the rod stuck in the ceiling.

"Oh, right." Haru slammed his fist on the wall, and the pole dropped from the ceiling…right on Hassleberry's head.

"Gack!" Hassleberry fell onto the floor. Haru sweat dropped as he walked over to Hassleberry. He peered at Hassleberry.

"Um…hey. You still alive?" Haru asked. Hassleberry sat up on one knee and grinned at Haru.

"Yup."

"Hassleberry, you are unbelievable." Haru said, shaking his head. "Anyway, you were doing it wrong. Pick it up and I'll show you." Hassleberry did so. "Just show me what you've got and I'll see what you're doing wrong." Hassleberry began to spin the rod in his hand. "Why's your forehead red?" Haru asked.

"Um…well…OW!" The pole once again smacked him on the forehead, making the mark even redder. "Damn..."

"Never mind. But that's one thing you did wrong. Do not get distracted, otherwise something like that will happen. It's all about control okay?"

"Uh huh." Hassleberry nodded.

"Secondly, it's not the speed and power that matters. If that's all you focus on, then it will just shoot out of your hand."

"That makes sense." Hassleberry nodded again. "Tell you what, why don't you show me?"

"Huh?" Hassleberry held his pole in both hands and took up a fighting stance.

"You and me. Right now."

"Well, I guess practicing it yourself might be helpful." A stone pole rose from the ground and Haru grabbed it. "Alright, let's go!"

Ten minutes later

"Wh…what happened here?" Aster exclaimed.

"Er…" Hassleberry said.

"Um…" Haru said. The passageway was a complete mess, with destroyed machines and rubble covering the floor. Haru and Hassleberry were right in the middle of it, still clutching their poles and looking very guilty. Aster folded his arms and walked up to them.

"Well…" Aster asked. "I'm waiting." Haru and Hassleberry said nothing, staring at Aster. They looked at each other and then back at Aster.

"HE DID IT!" They both yelled at the same time, Hassleberry pointing at Haru, and Haru pointing at Hassleberry. Then, they ran out of the room so quickly, all that was left in their wake was a trail of dust and two poles clattering on the ground.

"Hey!" Aster yelled, spinning around. "Aw well." Aster sighed, shrugging. "I'll just have to clean up." Aster snapped his fingers. Blue stars shone around the room, and the machines began to repair themselves, as well as the rubble moving back into the walls and ceiling.

_At least Haru looks okay. _Aster thought as he walked through the self-repairing passageway.

…

"We…are…so…screwed!" Haru gasped, leaning on the wall. Both Hassleberry and Haru were out of breath from running so fast, and Hassleberry was sprawled on the living room floor.

"He's gonna kill us!" Hassleberry exclaimed. He sat up until he was sitting cross-legged on the floor.

"I had no idea we caused that much of a mess." Haru said as soon as he got his breath back.

"But…it was kinda funny, wasn't it?"

"What was?" Hassleberry stood up, smiling.

"That look on Aster's face. It was just priceless!" Silence. Suddenly, Haru and Hassleberry burst out laughing.

"Yeah! It was pretty funny!" Haru gasped. They both eventually calmed down. "But you're definitely improving, Hassleberry."

"It's probably because I have such a great teacher."

"Nah." Haru stared at the floor. "I'm not that good a teacher."

"_It's true! It's all true! Sekio's mission was to kill you!"_

_Sekio…_ Haru thought. Hassleberry placed the back of his hand on Haru's forehead, surprising him.

"You don't look so good? Are you feeling okay?" Hassleberry asked.

"Eh?" Haru looked up, meeting the concerned face of Hassleberry.

"I know what you've been doing since you attacked me. It's already taking its toll on you."

"Really?"

"Yeah." Hassleberry gently grabbed Haru's wrist. "You're a lot skinnier than usual, and you look really pale. You've got to take better care of yourself." Hassleberry let go of Haru's arm. "I'd hate it if you were beating yourself up over me."

"…" Haru shrugged off Hassleberry's hand. "Thanks for your concern, Hassleberry." He gave Hassleberry a reassuring smile. "But I'm fine. Really."

"Really?"

"Really really." Hassleberry blinked.

"You're not even hungry?"

"Nope!" Haru said cheerfully. Suddenly, his stomach gave off a very loud growl. Haru cringed with embarrassment, and he looked up at Hassleberry, who looked rather dumbfounded. "Um…well…maybe a little bit." Haru muttered. Hassleberry grinned.

"What am I going to do with you? Come on, let's find some grub."

…

"Okay, where does Aster keep the food?" Hassleberry opened cupboard after cupboard in the kitchen, trying to find any form of food. "Let's see…broccoli yuck! Cauliflower double yuck!"

"That's where the vegetables are." Haru said.

"Ah! Right! Um…" Hassleberry opened another cupboard. "Alright! Now we're talking! Feast your eyes on this!" Hassleberry threw a pack of instant noodles at Haru, who examined the packet.

"What's this?" Haru asked.

"Eh? Have you never had instant noodles before?" Haru shook his head. "Wow, that's weird."

"Where I come from, we didn't even have stuff like this. What else is there?" Haru peered over Hassleberry's shoulder into the cupboard. "Whoa. I've never even heard of this stuff."

"Seriously?" Hassleberry exclaimed. "Alright, then let's find something you'll like. Hmmm…how about a donut?"

"Donut?" Haru repeated. "What's that?"

"This!" Hassleberry rammed a jam donut into Haru's mouth, who pulled it out, taking a bite in the process.

"Wow! This is actually pretty good!"

"You make it sound like you thought it would be poisoned."

"But seriously…" Haru pointed the donut at Hassleberry. "Do that again and I'll eat your hand."

"Cannibal! Right, what else is there?" Hassleberry snuck a glance at Haru while he was searching the cupboard. Haru was nibbling away at the donut, but Hassleberry could tell there was something on his mind. Frowning, Hassleberry grabbed a packet of beef jerky and closed the cupboard. "Haru?"

"What is it?"

"Um…sorry if it sounds like I'm intruding but…is there something else on your mind?"

"Huh?"

"You just look sorta…spacey." Haru glanced at the floor.

"Well…yeah. It's about what Nevara said. About…you know. My brother." He looked back at Hassleberry. "Do you really think he was given a mission to kill me?" Hassleberry's eyes widened.

"I er…I'm not sure. But the evidence certainly seems strong." Haru swallowed the rest of the donut.

"I guess."

"But…does it really matter?" Hassleberry asked.

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I think? I think the important thing is not the fact that Sekio got the mission, but the fact that he refused it. Sekio vowed to protect you, even if it killed him. That is what's really important to me."

" 'Kay." Haru said, smiling. "But…I still can't forget about what Nevara told me." His eyes widened. "No, no, no!" Haru shook his head quickly. "I shouldn't get depressed about it!"

"Hey, hey! Don't shake your head so hard!" Hassleberry placed a hand on Haru's head, stopping him. "Honestly, Haru. You shouldn't worry about stuff like that. If you ever think like that, just tell me about it, alright?"

"Yeah. You're right!" Haru grinned cheerfully. "Thanks, Hassleberry!" Hassleberry grinned back.

"Now that's a smile! C'mere you!" Hassleberry caught Haru in a headlock and rubbed his knuckles into Haru's head.

"HAHAHA! Hey, cut it out! You're messing my hair up!" Haru laughed, pulling himself out of Hassleberry's grip and rubbing his head.

"It's good to have you back, Haru."

"It's good to be back!"

Several weeks later

"Alright, let's call it a day." Aster said, dropping his water sword onto the sandy beach and walking back to the steps. Syrus deactivated his sword and ran to catch up.

"I don't see why you have to take me with you to practice." Syrus protested.

"Because you're the only one with a sword." Aster answered.

_Beep beep!_

"Oh, that's my cell phone." Syrus pulled out a yellow phone from his jacket pocket.

"Since when did you have a cell phone?" Aster asked.

"My brother Zane got a new one, so he gave me this one."

"Wow, that's the latest iPhone. Zane must be really having a good career."

"Speaking of Zane, I just got a text from him."

"Really? What does it say?"

"Well… he says that he's nearly finished his tour of Europe…he wants to know how I'm doing…" Syrus' eyes widened and he stopped walking. Aster stopped walking too.

"What's wrong?" Aster asked.

"He's coming to visit me at your flat!" Syrus gasped. There was a long silence.

"WHAT?"

The next morning

"Are you serious?" Daisy exclaimed from inside her bedroom. Aster stood outside the door inside the hallway of the flat.

"Would I joke about something like this? Zane's coming over any minute now, and he's gonna find out about my secret if we're not careful!"

"You mean about you having powers?"

"What else could I mean?"

"Okay, okay. Calm down. As long as you don't do anything strange and magical, you'll be fine."

"Yeah but…" Aster shifted his glance to Coco, who stared up at him with large eyes. "What do I do about Coco?"

"I dunno. I'm sure you'll think of something." Daisy opened the door and stepped out, wearing a different outfit from before. She had on a short light purple pleated skirt with a short sleeved white shirt that had a sailor style collar hanging down her back. The front of her shirt was decorated with a light purple ribbon tied in a bow, and she wore her usual choker around her neck. On her feet, there were white over the knee socks and purple knee high boots, and her black hair hung loose around her shoulders with two hair slides decorated with a daisy on each side of her head.

"But what if he finds out?" Daisy placed a finger on Aster's mouth.

"Relax. If he asks why you haven't been at the academy for a while, just make something up. As for Coco, keep him out of sight."

"Easier said than done. He follows me wherever I go."

_Knock knock!_

Both Aster and Daisy flinched at the sound.

_He's here…_ They both thought at the same time.

"Permission to panic?" Aster asked, already on the verge of panicking.

"Denied. Just stay calm. Keep him busy, and I'll find someone who can help you. Trust me." Daisy winked at Aster and left to the bookcase.

"Son of a bitch!" Aster muttered, wandering to the front door. "Why does that bastard have to visit me now? We're already in the middle of a mess with the Juusenshi and Meno and Haru so the last thing we need is for this jerk to-" Aster opened the front door. "Heya, Zaney! How've ya been?" Aster said cheerfully. Zane glared at Aster, wearing his usual black outfit minus the duel disk.

"That's Zane to you."

"Yeah, yeah. Make yourself at home." Aster turned around, and almost did a double take after seeing Coco.

_Shoot…_Aster thought. _What do I do? _Suddenly, Coco was pulled into another room. _Huh?_

"Hey, Zane! Long time no see!" Jaden said cheerfully. "What brings you here?"

"I was just passing through and thought I'd pay Syrus a visit."

"Aw! You're ever the dedicated older brother, right Ast?" Jaden nudged Aster playfully.

"Er…yeah." Aster eventually said. "Anyway, it seems you've been doing well for yourself."

"What about you? Have you been doing anything interesting these past few weeks?" Zane asked rather suspiciously. Aster and Jaden looked at each other.

"Nah." Aster said in a bored tone.

"No not really." Jaden shrugged.

"Really? Then what have you been doing about your career, Aster?" Aster flinched. "If you've been doing nothing, then what have you been doing?"

"Er…just…just stuff."

"Stuff?" Jaden muttered.

"Yeah. It's that stuff, right Jaden?"

"Oh, right!" Jaden exclaimed. "THAT stuff!" Zane folded his arms.

"So now you're telling me that you've gone from doing nothing to doing something?"

"Yeah!" Jaden and Aster said at the same time.

"What's that?" Zane asked, pointing over Jaden's shoulder.

"GAH!" Aster and Jaden spun around. Coco was standing right behind them, blinking innocently.

"Oh er…that's…that's…" Aster stuttered, thinking quickly.

"Whoops I must have left my duel disk on!" Jaden said quickly, scooping Coco up in his arms. "What are you doing out little buddy? I'd better return you back to my deck! Aster, keep Zane company! I'm gonna get Syrus!" Jaden yelled, running out of sight.

_Thanks for the save, Jaden._ Aster thought.

"Jaden never changes, huh?" Zane said, smirking.

"Unfortunately." Aster sighed. "Sometimes, he exhausts me."

"Why aren't you at the academy?"

"Huh? Oh we're er…we're…we're working on a project!" Aster said quickly. "Yeah, that's it! A project! It's about the pro circuit!"

"Really?"

"Really."

"Then why haven't I heard about you in the press?"

"I fancied a few weeks off. Anything wrong with that?"

"No, nothing. I just thought… hey, what's that on your arm?"

"Ack!" Aster stared at his arm, realising he was still wearing his manacle. "Um…nothing…" Aster said slowly, pulling his sleeve over it and looking at the ceiling.

"No, I definitely saw something." Zane made his way to Aster, but he skilfully ducked under his arm.

"No it's nothing really."

"Then why are you avoiding me?" Zane made another attempt, but Aster once again dodged him.

"I'm not." Aster and Zane started moving in circles around each other, one trying to reach the other, whilst the other tried to avoid him.

"Yes you are, you just did it again."

"Did what again?"

"That!"

"I'm not doing anything."

"Yes you are!"

"No I'm not."

"Cut it out!"

"Cut what out?"

"Avoiding me!"

"What're you talking about? I'm not avoiding you."

"Yes you are!" Quick as a flash, Aster pulled off his manacle and threw it into Daisy's room.

"Look there's nothing there! See?" Aster showed Zane his right arm. It was completely bare.

"Then why were you avoiding me?"

"Um…because…I didn't want to disappoint you? Heheheh." Aster laughed nervously. Zane narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"Aster? Do you have any-" James entered the living room, and stopped in his tracks after seeing Zane.

_Oh…crap!_ Aster thought.

"Who are you?" Zane asked.

"Right, where are my manners? I'm James. I'm Aster's father." Aster grimaced.

_He said it!_

"His father?" Zane repeated. Zane walked into the living room to get a closer look at James. "I thought Aster was an orphan." James quickly realised what he said.

"Um…well…" James glanced at Aster, who was waving his arms up and down in the air and shaking his head with a panicked expression on his face. "Oh! Did I say father? I meant uncle!"

"So now you're his uncle?"

"Um, yes! I said I was his father because my brother is so much like me that sometimes I think I am his father!"

"Aster doesn't have an uncle."

"Not in the country, but I've just moved back to Domino City from Paris after taking care of some work there, so I'm now his legal guardian. Great tour by the way." James smiled cheerfully. "Sorry for any confusion." He said in French.

"Alright. Excuse me." Zane left the room. As soon as the door closed and Aster and James were certain he was out of earshot, they both looked at each other and let out a huge sigh of relief.

"Phew! That was close!" Aster sighed.

"I'm sorry Aster."

"Nah, don't worry about it. We've just got to make sure Zane doesn't know about…well…you know."

"Need some help?" Hiruko asked, peeping around the bookcase.

"Hiruko!" Aster quickly pulled Hiruko out from the passageway and closed it shut. "Did Daisy ask for your help?"

"Yup."

"Daisy, thank you."

"Ten bucks."

"What?" Aster said flatly.

"Ten bucks." Hiruko repeated. "What, you didn't think it would be free did you?"

"Are you kidding me?" Aster exclaimed.

"Do you want my help or not?"

"Yeah but-"

"Then my fee will be ten bucks."

"Never."

"Okay then, how about nine?"

"Five."

"Ten"

"Eight."

"Ten."

"Okay, ten."

"I've changed my mind. Fifteen."

"How about twenty?"

"Are you crazy? I'll look like a free loader!"

"Okay then, ten."

"That's even less!"

"Ten bucks!"

"Fifteen and that's my final offer."

"Okay fine. Make sure Zane doesn't find out about you-know-what and I'll give you fifteen bucks!"

"Deal!" Aster and Hiruko clasped hands to seal the deal.

_I can't believe I'm making a deal with a twelve year old. _Aster thought, slapping himself mentally.

"Right." Hiruko clapped his hands together. "First things first. We must hide anything that can give us away."

"You mean, like, keep the bookcase closed?"

"Yeah, like that and…that!" Hiruko pointed at Haru, who was just leaving the bookcase.

"Huh? What? What did I do?" Haru asked, confused. Hiruko grabbed on of his arms and began to drag him outside of the flat.

"Let me go!"

"Sorry about this, but it's for your own good."

"What do you mean?" Hiruko opened a door in the hallway of the flats and pushed Haru inside of it.

"I know this looks bad, but it could be worse."

"But-" Before Haru could finish his sentence, Hiruko slammed the door and locked it, leaving Haru in darkness. As soon as his eyes adjusted to the darkness, Haru realised his was in a small storage cupboard, with the walls covered with shelves that were completely stacked. He clicked the light switch, and a single uncovered light bulb hung from the ceiling to give light to the cramped room. "Great. Just great."

_Ring riiiiiiiing! Ring riiiiiiiiiing!_

"Huh?" To Haru's right, he saw an old telephone that had lost its antennae ringing. Confused, Haru picked it up. "Hello?"

"Haru, is that you?" He heard Aster say.

"Yeah it's me. Mind telling me why I'm locked in a closet?"

"Sorry, but a friend of ours called Zane is visiting, and it's really important that he doesn't find out about our secret."

"I'm not exactly a Martian, am I?"

"But you're a stone wielder."

"Shouldn't you have Hiruko locked up in here?" Haru exclaimed. "He's a shape shifter!"

"Yeah, but I need him."

"So it's all of a sudden okay to lock me in here?" Haru muttered, his eyebrow twitching. "Hang on, the phones broken. How are you talking to me?"

"I have the power of technomancy, so I'm talking to you through the phone."

"Okay. I guess that makes sense." Haru sighed. "Fine. I'll stay here for a while."

"Great! Oh, and one more thing." There was a flash of blue light, and Coco appeared in the air before landing on his feet on the floor. He immediately began to sniff the floor. "Look after Coco for me, will ya?" The phone line went dead. Haru put the phone back into the receiver and fell onto the floor, his back against the wall. Coco looked up at him, and they both turned away from each other. Moments later, they look back at each other, and Coco gave a chattering sound.

"What's up?" Haru grumbled.

...

"Well, that's Coco taken care of." Aster said, removing his hand from the phone.

"Who's Coco?"

"WAH!" Aster almost jumped out of his skin at the sound of Zane's voice. "Oh, Zane. You scared me."

"So? Who's Coco?"

"Coco? Coco...is um..."

"It's Aster's nickname for his secretary." Hiruko said quickly.

"Yeah, that's right."

"And who's this squirt?"

"Who're you callin' a squirt?" Hiruko yelled. Aster grabbed Hiruko's head.

"Calm down Hiruko. Zane, this is Hiruko, my...neighbour."

"Yeah. I live across the hall."

"Oh...kay." Zane said slowly.

"Geez, Zaney. You're so mistrustful." Aster exclaimed.

"It's Zane, Phoenix! Zane!"

"Maybe you should cool that hot head of yours." Aster teased, smiling.

"Zane?"

"Huh?" Aster saw Syrus standing in the middle of the room, dumbfounded.

"Wh...what's going on? Why are you here?" Syrus asked nervously. Zane's face immediately softened after seeing Syrus and smiled.

"You make it sound like I'm a bad guy."

"Well, you were for a while."

"Oh, right."

"Zane's completely different when he's around Syrus." Hiruko whispered to Aster.

"They're brothers." Aster whispered back.

"THEY'RE WHAT?" Hiruko exclaimed.

"Geez, don't act so surprised."

_Screeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!_

"What's that sound?" Hiruko asked.

"I have no idea." Aster answered. The noise stopped as quickly as it came. "Well, it's stopped now."

...

"Man, this sucks." Haru, still sat on the floor, threw a rubber ball at the door, which it bounced off of; Haru caught it and threw it again. With his other hand, he fiddled with the string of his diamond dagger. He stopped fiddling with it and let it fall onto his shirt. The rubber ball rolled across the floor. "How am I supposed to pass the time in here? It's so boring!" Coco spotted the dagger, and reached a paw up to swat at it.

"Moron!" Haru yelled, scrambling away from Coco. "If you touch that you'll cut yourself!" Coco began to make whimpering noises. Haru turned away. "No means no." The whimpering noises got louder, until Coco let out a loud SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

"AAAAAAAHHH!" Haru yelled, clamping his hands over his ears. "Alright, alright! You win!" With one hand still on his ear, Haru untied the string around his neck and threw the dagger over to Coco, who immediately stopped shrieking. Coco cautiously batted it with his paw, until he tossed it from one paw to another happily.

"Man, you're annoying." Haru sighed. "Just don't break it. It means a lot to me." Several minutes passed, and Coco was still playing with the dagger. "Can I have it back now?" Haru reached out towards it, but even though his hand was just inches away, the string shot away from Coco and straight into Haru's outstretched hand.

"Huh?" Haru almost sweat dropped. Even Coco looked surprised. "What the heck was that?" Haru tied the string back around his neck and tucked it into his shirt. "Was that...?" Haru saw a deflated football sitting on shelf. "I wonder..." Haru raised a hand towards it. Within seconds, the ball shook, until it moved directly into Haru's hand. "Telekinesis?" He glanced at Coco. "Here you go." Haru threw the football on the floor for Coco to play with.

_Well...looks like I've found something to do with my time._

...

"So, Zane. How was Europe? Did you see the Eiffel Tower? The Leaning Tower of Pisa? The Statue of Liberty?"

"Ha-ha. Easy." Zane laughed. "Yeah, I saw 'em. Er...except the last one. That's not in Europe." Syrus cringed.

"Oops. Sorry. Oh, and I met a girl."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Her name's Meno. She's thirteen, got short blue hair, and she's really shy."

"Meno, huh? She sounds nice."

...

"Ah-choo!" Meno sneezed. "Isn't there a saying that if you sneeze, someone's talking about you?" Meno wondered. "Oh well." She walked out of the passageway towards Aster's room. "As-" Meno started, but was interrupted when she saw something shine in Daisy's room. She peered inside and saw Aster's manacle lying on the floor. She kneeled down to pick it up.

"Isn't this Aster's?" She wondered out loud. "I'd better return it to him."

...

"Tell me more about Meno."

"Well she's...she's really kind, she's a girl...um...she's a girl...wait I said that twice! Er...Meno is...well..." Syrus glanced down. "She's really quiet, and sometimes, when she talks, her voice is so quiet that it's almost a whisper. Even when she does whisper, I can barely hear her."

"Really?" Zane said, turning away.

"What's wrong?" Syrus asked, leaning forward on the kitchen counter.

"Nothing. She...reminds me of someone I met a long time ago. Right before dad died in that car accident." Syrus' eyes widened.

_Car accident?_ Syrus thought. _Doesn't he remember?_

"What...what was her name?"

"That's something I've regretted. I never asked her name. Likewise, I never saw her again. I always go to that electronics store where we first met, but she never shows up. Someday though...I'll see her again."

"Aster?"

"Huh? Meno?" Aster said. Meno made her way into the kitchen.

"There you are. I found this on the-" She stopped mid-sentence after seeing Zane and gasped. She was so shocked, she dropped Aster's manacle, but Aster caught it and hid it quickly. Zane, meanwhile, was just as shocked.

"Zane?" Syrus said.

"Syrus...is this Meno?" Zane asked slowly.

"Y...yes it is." Zane walked over to Meno, who didn't notice until he was inches away from her. She looked up at the shocked Zane. All Aster, Hiruko, Jaden and Syrus could do was watch.

"Meno... I finally got your name." Zane smiled.

_Doesn't he remember what happened?_ Meno thought. Closing her eyes tightly, she ran out the room.

"Hey..." Zane started, about to go after Meno, but the slam of a front door stopped him, the noise making him flinch. "Guess she doesn't remember me."

"Zane...she does remember you." Aster said.

"But...why did she run off like that?"

"I guess she was er...she was so happy to see you that she didn't know what to say. Let's give her some space until she's calmed down, then you two can have a proper reunion." Aster said quickly.

...

"What's he doing here?" Meno whispered, pacing backwards and forwards outside Aster's flat. "And he was smiling like that. Doesn't he know what I've done? This is terrible!"

_Ba-bump!_

"Ugh..." Meno clutched her head and staggered slightly before leaning on the railing of the stairs for support. "What happening to me? I haven't hit my head...so why am I getting this headache? I'll just go outside for some fresh air." Meno staggered down the stairs with one hand still on her head. Meanwhile, in the closet of the corridor, the key in the lock slowly twisted, until there was a click noise and the door creaked open.

"Yes! Freedom!" Haru exclaimed, walking out of the closet with his arms wide open. "Man, I've got cramps all over." Haru shook the cramps out of his arms. Coco walked out cautiously. "Thanks to you being annoying, and thanks to Hiruko for being a moron, I used my new power to escape." Suddenly, Coco dashed off down the stairs. "Hey! Don't run away!" Haru stared down the stairs, just barely seeing Coco running all the way to the ground floor.

"Oh no you don't!" Haru leapt over the railings and fell past three floors before landing on his feet with one knee on the floor, just as Coco was coming down the stairs.

"Gotcha!" Haru jumped towards Coco and grabbed him. Haru stood up, holding Coco by the scruff of his neck. "I can't have you running off, Coco. Aster will have my head if that happened." Coco climbed onto Haru's shoulders. "Come on, let's get you home. Huh?" Haru spotted Meno standing in the middle of the hallway facing the door. "Meno? What are you doing standing there? If you're not careful, someone might crash into you." Haru made his way towards Meno, until he stepped on some glass. "What the..." Haru looked at the glass on the floor.

_Where did this come from?_ Haru thought. It was then that he noticed the broken glass case with a sticker saying "In Case Of Emergency" above it.

"You're Haru, right?" Meno asked without turning around.

"Um...yes. Of course I'm Haru. Is this summer heat getting to your head Meno?" Meno turned around, her hair hiding her eyes, and walked towards Haru. "H...hey. What are you doing?" Haru asked, backing away from Meno. "Stop it; you're starting to scare me a little." Haru gasped as his back met the tiled wall. Meno finally reached Haru, but didn't look up. Coco peered over the top of Haru's head, also feeling scared.

"I'm going to make you pay for stopping me from killing Aster."

_Her voice sounds different._ Haru thought. _It sounds so...harsh._

"Meno?" Meno extended her left hand at her side. It glowed pink, and a red axe materialised out of it. Haru's eyes widened. "That's..." Meno finally looked up, and her eyes were the lifeless ones of her other side. She raised the axe above her head. "You're..." Haru started, finally recognising Meno's other side, just as the axe was lowered.

_CRASH!_

**WOW! Another cliff hanger! Don't hate me for doing that, readers. I've got to end it on something good so that you'll want to know what happens. Speaking of, Meno's gonna go berserk in Domino City, and will Zane finally remember what Meno did? Find out next time, guys!**


	24. Chapter 24: Identity

**Boy, is it hot or what? Then again, it is summer, so I guess that's to be expected. Ah, I remember the summer I did eight chapters in six weeks like it was just yesterday! I wonder if I can beat that record. Well, I'll just have to try and find out for myself. But, I'll need some motivation from you guys (hint, hint, read my chapters, nudge, nudge)! Hee hee!**

Chapter 24

Identity

_CRASH!_

"Hmph." Meno sniffed. "I missed." The axe was just inches from Haru's head. Coco trembled on Haru's shoulders with a whimper. Meno let go of the axe, and it remained on the wall.

"Meno?" Haru shook his head. "No. I shouldn't call you that."

"Oh? And why not?"

"Because you're not Meno." Meno smiled.

"Interesting. You don't seem to be afraid of me." Meno closed her eyes. "And I'm used to people cowering in my presence." She opened her eyes and glared at Haru. "Well, I'll have to force the fear inside you."

"No. You're wrong about that." Haru said. "I was afraid of you. It's because of you that I remembered something very painful."

"That would be the deaths of your parents, right?" Haru's eyes widened. "Yeah, I know all about it. That makes us similar, don't you think?"

"No."

"Oh?" Meno raised an eyebrow.

"It's true. Both of our parents are dead. But…mine were killed because of a punishment. Meno's, however, were murdered out of cold blood by you."

"What are you talking about?" Meno asked, pretending to be confused. "I AM Meno."

"No you're not!" Haru yelled.

"Temper." Meno slowly leaned closer towards Haru.

"Stay away!"

"It's because of you Aster didn't drown back in the park. I might have to punish you for that." Haru flinched when Meno's face was just inches from his. "I'm not the type who forgives and forgets. Just like "those people", you'll end up dead." She leaned towards Haru's ear. "Blood will be everywhere." She whispered. She gasped when Haru suddenly pushed her away from him, making her land heavily on the floor.

"Sorry, but I have no intention of dying." Haru said, running out of the flats into Domino City. Meno narrowed her eyes. She disappeared in a flash of pink light, and next appeared on top of the flats. Down below, she saw Haru running through the streets. She smiled viciously, and disappeared.

"Coco. Go back to Aster." Coco blinked twice, hesitating. "Go!" Reluctantly, Coco disappeared in a small burst of flame off Haru's shoulder. Haru skidded to a stop. "Right. I've got to find Hassleberry. He should be in this city somewhere." He looked over his shoulder, and his eyes widened. Meno was walking slowly towards him through the crowds of people. "Damn!" He ran off again, apologising as he accidentally crashed into people. He soon spotted a large crowd of people up ahead. "Perfect! She'll never find me in there!" Haru ran to the crowd and barged straight through it until he thought he was in the centre. "Phew. I should be safe."

"Isn't that girl…?" A member of the crowd said.

"It is! It's Meno!" The crowd began to panic.

_Dammit! Don't give yourselves away!_ Haru thought.

"Oh no! She's attacking!"

"GET DOWN!" Haru obeyed, along with a few other crowd members, just as a blast of pink energy shot over their heads. There was a huge burst of blood from the bodies of the crowd that couldn't avoid the blast. The blood completely covered Haru and the few surviving crowd members.

"Let's get outta here!" The survivors began to run away, along with several other civilians who saw the attack. Meno walked towards Haru calmly, slicing off the heads and limbs of anyone who was unfortunate enough to pass her.

_What am I doing?_ Haru thought. _I have to get away from her! _He stood up and turned around to run, but as soon as he took a step forward, he immediately felt dizzy. Haru staggered with one hand on his head. _There is no dizziness. There is no dizziness._

"So…you faint when you see someone die?" Haru gasped. Meno was directly in front of him. "That just makes this easier." A pink arm shot out behind Meno and grabbed a man. The arm immediately dragged the man towards Meno. She raised her right hand up towards the man, and charged a pink energy field in her palm.

"DON'T!" Haru shouted, knowing what was coming next. Meno ignored him, and the energy field shot out of her hand as soon as the man was beside her. It blew his head into pieces, and got more blood on Haru, who could only stare horrified. The dizziness came again, except it was much more overpowering. Haru fell onto one knee, trying to fight it.

"What impressive willpower." Meno said.

_I don't have time for this._ Haru thought. _I have to find Hassleberry._

"I'm tellin' ya, Andersen. Zane's up to something."

"And what makes you think that, may I ask?"

"Hassleberry?" Haru looked up, but Hassleberry was nowhere to be seen.

_That's strange._ Haru thought. _I can hear Hassleberry and Jesse as if they were right next to me, but they're not here. But...they don't sound very far away. Great!_ Haru stood up and ran away from Meno, staggering slightly. Meno narrowed her eyes.

"And so the hunt begins." She hissed, before teleporting from the spot.

...

"Zane has a dark side of him ever since he got that underworld deck or cyberdark deck or whatever it's called." Hassleberry said, waving his arms in the air to prove his point.

"Cyberdark." Jesse corrected. "And Zane's not evil anymore. At least...he's a little less evil."

"Name one way he isn't evil." Hassleberry challenged.

"He doesn't use those electrodes."

"Gah...name one more."

"He's worried about Syrus." Silence.

"Name another one."

"He hardly uses his cyberdark deck anymore." Another silence.

"Go away." Hassleberry turned away from Jesse, sulking with his arms folded. Jesse grinned.

"Hassleberry!"

"Hey, wasn't that..." Jesse started, turning around. He immediately spotted Haru running towards them, covered in blood.

"Haru!" Hassleberry went to Haru's side as soon as he was near them. Haru collapsed on his hands and knees, gasping for breath. "Are you okay?"

"All...all that blood..." Was all Haru managed to gasp out.

"What's going on? Haru!" Before Haru could answer, there was a huge gush of blood surrounding the three of them. All around them, limbs, heads and bodies surrounded them in a puddle of blood.

"Wh...What the hell's going on?" Jesse exclaimed, horrified.

"Whoa." Hassleberry caught Haru just as he collapsed.

"Hassleberry, what's happening here?" Jesse demanded.

"Haru saw Meno's other side, and ran away from her to find us. Judging by the state of his clothes, I'd say he saw lots of people die. Impressive in my opinion. He fought against it long enough to get here."

"I guess that's impressive but...hang on. Meno?"

"Oh..." Hassleberry said slowly. "You don't know do you?"

"Know what?" Jesse asked, confused.

"About me." Meno said, appearing between the two of them, making both of them jump.

"Meno. We have to get out of here. People are blowing up all over the place."

"Of course."

"Huh?" Meno looked up at Jesse, giving him a sinister smile

"I'm the one who's responsible for this." Jesse's eyes widened.

"Wait…you're doing this?"

"There she is."

"Get her!" Meno looked over her shoulder, and her blank eyes fell upon a huge crowd of people, most of whom were holding flaming torches.

"Oh, great. A mob." Hassleberry grumbled.

"Hassleberry. Is it true? I mean, Meno being a killer?"

"Unfortunately, yes. Don't you remember what Nevara said?"

"_You never know when a monster like her will strike."_

"Yeah but…I thought Nevara was lying just to get into Syrus' head." Meno walked past Jesse towards the mob. "Meno!" Hassleberry raised an arm in front of him.

"Don't interfere. If you do, you'll die." Hassleberry said.

"What?" Jesse gasped. Meno stopped walking when she was several feet away from Jesse and Hassleberry. The mob stopped marching, and a single woman wearing a long white skirt and a pink t-shirt with her brown hair in a ponytail stepped forward, raising her flame torch high into the air.

"We of Domino City have united together to take you out once and for all." The woman declared. "Our deaths won't be in vain as long as you are gone from this world. We will fight…for…" The woman stopped talking as she stared at Meno. Meno glared at her through hate filled eyes. Speechless, the woman dropped her torch on the ground and continued to stare at Meno, afraid. The flames licked at her skirt, until it set alight. The fire crept up her skirt onto her t-shirt, and eventually her hair was burst into flames. Even through this pain, the woman never screamed, but the crowd, on the other hand, were horrified.

"What is Meno doing?"

"She didn't even attack!" The woman's entire body was set alight, and she collapsed on the ground, the flames burning her clothes and skin. Jesse turned away, his eyes closed tightly.

"We're no match for her!"

"Cowards!" Half the crowd charged towards Meno, who stood there calmly. She closed her eyes and smiled. As the people ran past her, their mid-sections were sliced cleanly off by two pink wing-like shapes on Meno's back. When they were all killed, Meno opened her eyes and glared at the remaining mob. Taunting them, she raised her right hand towards them, prompting them to run away.

"Hmph." Meno sniffed. She turned around to face Jesse and Hassleberry. Scared, Jesse took several steps away from her.

_Is this really Meno?_ Jesse thought. Meno's eyes fell onto Hassleberry, and her eyes widened. She smiled. Hassleberry was suddenly whisked off his feet and was sent flying towards a building, which he crashed into painfully.

"Haru!" Jesse dropped onto one knee and caught Haru before he hit the ground.

"What was that for?" Hassleberry yelled. Meno teleported in front of him.

"Don't you recognise me?" She asked coldly.

"Er…you're Aster's adopted sister?" Hassleberry guessed, smiling nervously. Meno narrowed her eyes.

"No. You're not him. Yet you look so similar. Tell me, boy. Have you heard of the Kishido battle?"

"The what?" Hassleberry cocked his head to the side, confused. Meno summoned a pink arm behind her.

"Allow me to enlighten you." The arm shot towards Hassleberry and the hand entered his head.

"Hassleberry!" Jesse yelled. Images began to flash into Hassleberry's mind. He saw a younger Meno standing on a battlefield with blank eyes. He saw thousands of soldiers charge towards Meno, but they were all cut down. He saw Meno standing amid the corpses. Suddenly, the base of a gun was thrust behind her head, and she fell unconscious. A man, who bared a remarkable resemblance to Hassleberry, lifted her onto his shoulder and walked away.

"Now do you remember?" Meno asked, the pink arm disappearing.

"WHOA, WHOA, WHOA!" Hassleberry yelled, waving his hands up and down frantically. "Time out! Time out! You've got the wrong person here! That guy was my dad! He's a general! And now that you mention it, he was the sole survivor of some sort of battle that he told me about, but I didn't know which one it was until now! I swear I had nothing to do with it! I'm just his kid!"

"I see…" Meno said. Hassleberry stopped waving his hands and blinked in confusion. "Then I shall kill you myself." Meno raised her right arm in the air. "Farewell, son of General Hassleberry." Before she could strike a killing blow, an arrow lodged itself in her right shoulder. She turned around, and saw Jesse holding his bow in the air.

"These are mind control arrows." Jesse said. "Now step away from Hassleberry." Meno glared at Jesse, and her eyes widened in alarm as her right arm lowered. She struggled to fight over the control, but it was useless. She took a few steps backwards, allowing Hassleberry to run back to Jesse and go back to Haru's side. "I've got some questions to ask you. And tell the truth. Who are you?" Meno was silent for a moment.

"I have no name." She said eventually, though her eyes never stopped overflowing with hatred. "I am a part of Meno. Therefore, I am Meno."

"You can't possibly be Meno."

"It's true. If she gets taller, so do I. When she ages, I do too. When she learns something new, I learn it as well. I am, without a doubt, Meno."

"I don't believe you." Jesse snapped.

"I am telling the absolute truth." Meno said firmly.

"Fine." Jesse looked at the burned corpse of the woman. "What did you do to that girl?" Meno smiled.

"Nothing."

"She burned to death! How can you call that nothing?" Jesse demanded.

"I used no powers. She just dropped her torch out of fear and she burned herself as a result." Her smile became wider. "That is something I can do. I use fear that is so powerful, that humans cannot move."

"…" Jesse contemplated what Meno said. "Are there others of your kind?" He asked.

"I am the last one."

"That's a bit of an insult." Hassleberry looked down at Haru. "Haru's the last of his kind too. When you're the last of your kind, you feel lonely. I can't see any loneliness in you. So you can't be the last of your species."

"I'll ask you again; are there others of your kind?"

"I am the last one." Meno said again. "At least, I think I am. For all I know, there could be an entire island of them, and I do not know. The truth I tell you is my truth, not the real truth. Or maybe it is the real truth, then I'll have to correct myself later. But, this is the best you've got, so deal with it." Meno took a step forward towards Jesse.

"Stay where you are!" Jesse demanded. Meno took another step forward, surprising herself. She pulled the arrow out of her shoulder.

"Looks like the mind control has run out." The arrow burned into pink fire until it was nothing but ashes. "Time to die."

"You're kidding!" Jesse exclaimed. Meno grinned manically, and shot a blast of pink energy from her right hand.

"This sucks!" Hassleberry pulled Haru's arm around his shoulders, and jumped out of the way of the blast, Jesse doing the same.

"So this is what you are! A killer!" Jesse yelled.

"I've been this way all my life! I kill, and kill, and kill some more! It's what I was born to do!" Meno materialised a whip-like weapon made of pink energy in her hand, and cracked it towards Jesse. Jesse pulled out his own whip and cracked it onto the whip, causing Meno's weapon to crash into another building.

"I've got a toy like that too!" Jesse said cheerfully.

"Arrogant child. That's not all I can do." Meno disappeared. When she next appeared, she was one knee beside Jesse.

"What the…" Jesse started. Meno grabbed Jesse's right leg. "Get off!" Jesse attempted to kick Meno with his other leg, but she disappeared again. When she next appeared, she was beside Hassleberry.

"Yikes!" He jumped away from Meno, still holding onto Haru.

"Get over here!" Jesse began to run towards Meno, but as soon as he stepped on his right leg, pain shot through it, and he collapsed onto the ground. "What the…what did you do to me?"

"I severed the tendons in your right leg. Now you can't walk let alone run." Jesse managed to sit up on his knees.

"So what?" Jesse materialised a lightning bolt in his right hand. "I can still do this."

_Ba-bump!_

"GAH!" The lightning bolt disappeared, and Jesse was coughing into his hands. Meno stared at Jesse, surprised. Eventually, she smirked.

"That takes care of you." Meno turned around, and walked towards Hassleberry. Jesse looked up, his right hand covered in blood and another trail of it leaking out from the corner of his mouth.

_Damn…_Jesse thought. _Why now…of all times?_ His vision became blurred. _Wow. This is a pretty bad one._ His vision became focused, just in time to see Hassleberry swatted out of the way effortlessly by Meno, who then proceeded to grab Haru's throat with another pink arm and ram him against the wall. His vision became blurry again, and he slammed a hand on the ground to prevent himself from collapsing. Gasping for breath, he looked up again to see Meno grinning triumphantly as Haru coughed up some blood. Hassleberry tried to stop her, but she shot an energy field into the ground, and as soon as Hassleberry stepped on it, tarmac wrapped around his ankles, rooting him on the spot. _There has to be something I can do._ He gasped.

"_I will always protect you, Jesse. My life if yours. Just call my name, and I will be there."_

"Bandit…" Jesse whispered, before he began to fall to the ground. But, somebody caught him just before he fell. Jesse opened his eyes and saw Bandit standing over him. Bandit leaned Jesse against a wall and bowed on one knee before him.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

"Truthfully, no. But don't worry about me. I've got something to ask you."

"What is it you desire?"

"I want you to help my friends over there." Jesse pointed at Hassleberry and Haru. "That girl is attacking them. But don't hurt her, okay?"

"If that is what you wish." Bandit disappeared behind a cloud of black smoke.

_I wish I could help, Bandit._ Jesse thought. _But right now, I'm too exhausted to move._ Bandit appeared next to Hassleberry, who was attempting to punch his way through the tarmac.

"Hey, you're that-" Before Hassleberry could finish his sentence, the tarmac around his feet crumbled, freeing him. "Eh?" Hassleberry saw a katana in Bandit's right hand. "When did you draw your sword?" Hassleberry asked, sweat dropping. Bandit didn't answer, and sheathed his sword again. He looked over at Meno and Haru, and ran towards them.

"DIE!" Meno yelled. Her eyes widened. She jumped back just as Bandit aimed a kick to her head, forcing the pink arm to disappear from Haru's throat. Haru began to fall to the ground, but Bandit dropped onto one knee behind Haru and caught him.

"Who are you and why are you protecting my prey?" Meno demanded as Bandit stood up with Haru in his arms. "Well?"

"I have no real name." Bandit answered. "And I am here because I have sworn to protect someone with my life."

"I see...and would that someone be the one you're holding now?" Meno asked.

"No... I was ordered by my master to protect his friends from you. However, I cannot harm you because you are also his friend."

"HA!" Meno laughed, turning her head away with her eyes closed. "Yeah. Sure. I'm his friend." She said sarcastically.

"But...I have my own reasons for protecting this boy." Bandit looked down at the unconscious Haru. "You see, he has an important task that only he can do ahead of him. He has to save someone who is very precious to him. I cannot allow anyone to stop him. He has the potential to become a great warrior, perhaps even greater than I."

_Bandit... _Jesse thought. Meno yawned behind her hand.

"Okay. Bored now." Several lampposts uprooted from the ground and floated beside Meno, along with several cars.

_Telekinesis?_ Bandit thought. A lamppost swung at him like a baseball bat, and Bandit jumped out of the way. He landed beside Hassleberry and set Haru on the ground.

"Take care of him." Bandit leapt away from Hassleberry, stepping lightly onto the roofs of floating cars towards Meno. As soon as he landed on one of the cars, a lamppost hit him from behind, catching him by surprise. However he quickly recovered and somersaulted through the air and skidded on the ground as he landed on his feet.

"Bandit!" Bandit turned to the sound of Jesse's voice. Jesse was holding two rocks in his hands, and was making one hit the top of the other, giving a secret message. Bandit tapped his head, and Jesse nodded. Bandit jumped into the air when Meno made a lamppost attack him, the top smashing as soon as it hit the ground.

_Alright..._ Bandit thought, looking down at Meno from the sky. _I just have to hit her on the head. But how? She's not letting me get near her._ Bandit gripped the hilt of his katana. _I'll have to try._ Bandit pulled the sheath of his sword out of his belt, and as soon as he landed on the ground, dashed towards Meno.

"Oh no you don't!" Meno growled, forcing all the cars she had under her control to fly towards Bandit. He effortlessly dodged them as they crashed onto the ground, moving so quickly he was only a blur. Before Meno could react, Bandit was behind Meno, and he hit her behind the head with the hilt of his sword. Her eyes widened, and she collapsed on the ground. Bandit stared down at her for a moment, before disappearing from the spot and reappearing beside Hassleberry again.

"Whoa! You've seriously got to teach me that." Hassleberry said.

"Are you hurt?" Bandit asked.

"I'm fine. Just a little bump on the noggin'!" Hassleberry tapped his head, grinning. "Haru looks pretty okay, too." At that point, Haru groaned. "Speak of the devil, looks like he's waking up. Hey, Haru. You okay?" Haru's eyes inched open, and he sat up, a hand on his head.

"What happened?" He asked. He noticed Bandit on one knee beside him. "Aren't you that guy who wants to protect Jesse?" His eyes widened. "Jesse! Where is he?"

"Over here, guys." Jesse waved from the wall. "There's something wrong with my leg, and I just had a really bad attack. But I'm sure I'll live somehow." Jesse vision became blurred again, and he collapsed on the ground, unconscious.

"Jesse!" Bandit ran over to Jesse's side immediately. "What's wrong?"

"In a fight with Catalina, Jesse got poisoned." Haru explained, standing up. "He's had side effects like this for a while, but this one is the worst of them."

"What should we do about-" Hassleberry started, looking over to where Meno lay, but she was gone. "Great! She's gone! That's all we need!" Hassleberry threw his arms up in the air.

"You two, go home."

"What?" Bandit glanced over at Haru, before turning his attention back to Jesse.

"Haru, you go on ahead. And take it easy. You were resisting a powerful fainting spell, so get some rest when you get back. And...get those clothes washed. You don't want people thinking you're a murderer." Haru could swear that he saw Bandit smile under his mask.

"I'll catch up, Haru. You go ahead." Hassleberry said. Reluctantly, Haru nodded, and he ran off in the direction of the flats. "Why do you want me to wait?" Hassleberry asked.

"You're his closest friend, are you not?"

"I guess."

"Then tell him this." Bandit turned to Hassleberry, his green eyes staring straight into Hassleberry's. "Tell him that the gargoyle state is inside him." Hassleberry's eyes widened.

"The what? Gargoyle state?"

"He'll know when he hears it." Bandit placed an arm around Jesse. "I'll take care of Jesse. He'll be home by tonight."

...

Several hours later

"Jesse...Jesse...Can you hear me?"

Jesse's eyes twitched, and he blinked them open. His vision was still blurry, but he could make out a figure all in black looking down at him. His vision focused and he realised that it was Bandit.

"Bandit?" Jesse muttered weakly.

"Are you alright?" Bandit asked. Jesse sat up.

"Yeah. I'm feeling a lot better than I did a while ago." Jesse looked around him "Where are we?" Jesse saw that they were in a dark alleyway, a large plastic rubbish dumpster hiding them from view of the city. The sky was coloured orange, indicating that it was nearly night time.

"I have healed your leg." Bandit said. "And I have already administered a secondary antidote inside your body. It's neutralising the poison as we speak."

"W...wow. Thank you." A thought suddenly struck Jesse. "Wait... how come you have an antidote? I thought this poison was rare."

"A ninja has his secrets." Bandit responded.

"That's not what I meant." Jesse stood up and backed away from Bandit. "The Juusenshi have powers that are unique only to those who are members. That includes weapons, especially poisons. You could only get a hold of the antidote if you were a part of the Juusenshi..." Jesse pointed at Bandit. "Which means that you're one of them, aren't you?"

"..." Bandit was silent, until there was a puff of black smoke. When it cleared, Alister was standing on that same spot. "How did you know it was me?"

"I knew all along. I just wanted to be sure."

"That didn't quite answer my question." Alister said playfully.

"I recognised your voice when I first saw "Bandit". And that's another thing; that was a really lame alias. Only you could think up that daft name. Plus, your goofy personality stands out a mile." Alister hung his head.

"You don't have to sound so insulting." He grumbled. "You sound just like Hiruko."

"Hey, don't compare me to a twelve year old!" Jesse exclaimed. Alister looked up and took a step towards Jesse.

"I'm sorry I kept it a secret." He moved another step forward, prompting Jesse to take another step back. "Why are you avoiding me?"

"You know why. You're our enemy. We'll both be dead if either of our friends find out about this."

"Trust me." Alister closed his eyes. "Those guys are hardly my friends. And don't worry. I am taking precautions in my encounters with you. I have replaced myself with a doppelganger. They'll never even know I was gone."

"That doesn't change anything." Jesse protested. "You'll get yourself killed if you keep this up. And even though you're still an enemy, I still..." Jesse turned away, his eyes shining. "I still see you as...a friend." Alister smiled softly.

"Thank you for your concern."

"Just tell me why." Jesse said, turning back to Alister. "Why are you going this far to protect me?"

"You see that thing on your hand?"

"You mean this glove?" Jesse raised the blue glove up to show Alister. "I got this from James. He's got loads of gizmos like this."

"That's called the Glove of Rai."

"The what?" Jesse asked, wide eyed.

"The Glove of Rai." Alister repeated. "In my clan, anyone who possesses the Glove of Rai is said to have great power. However, the glove chooses who its next master will be when they have come of age; the same age you are now. Therefore, everyone is sworn to protect the master of that glove even if it killed them. And the glove has chosen you, Jesse." Alister held his chin thoughtfully. "I was confused myself. The master is only of the bloodline of our clan, yet you are not even from our village. But, regardless, we all made a vow to protect the master, so that is what I'm doing."

"You mean...you're protecting me because of this thing?" Alister nodded. "Are your clan really that loyal?"

"It's in our blood."

"But...don't you have any free will at all?" Alister turned away.

"I don't know."

"So if I said hop on one leg for a whole day, would you do that?"

"If that is what you wish."

"What if I ordered you to cut off your hand?"

"I would not hesitate."

"Betray your people. You'd even do that if I told you to?"

"I would."

"What if I told you to kill yourself? Would you do it?" Alister hesitated.

"Yes." He answered.

"I don't like that." Jesse said. "Alister, your loyalty...do you even use it with Miranda?"

"I joined to find you. I follow her orders word for word."

"So, I want you to have your own free will."

"What?" Jesse smiled.

"If you're ordered to do something, by me or Miranda, you now have the right to say "no". That means if you get an order that you don't want to follow, you can now speak up and say you don't want to." Jesse pointed at himself. "As your master, I order you to have free will."

"..." Alister smiled. "Alright. But this doesn't change anything about us."

"Huh?" Jesse blinked.

"You heard me." Alister grinned. "I'll always protect you, Jesse. My life is yours. Just call my name, and I'll be there."

"How can you hear me call your name?" Jesse asked nervously. "You don't have some sort of camera on me do you?"

"A ninja has his secrets." Alister tapped his nose mischievously, showing that it was secret. "Oh, would you look at the time? We should both be heading back."

"If you see Meno anywhere, you let me know immediately."

"If that is what you wish." Alister bowed, and disappeared in a flash of red light.

…

"Man!" Aster sighed, collapsing onto the sofa. Coco jumped onto the top of the sofa and looked down at Aster. "What a day. Good thing Zane is staying in a hotel." Aster looked out of the window at the setting sun.

_Where did Meno go?_ Aster thought. He suddenly saw Meno's reflection in the window. Aster sat up and peered over the sofa at the doorway, and sure enough, Meno was standing there, shadows hiding her eyes.

"Meno!" Aster leapt over the sofa. "I was worried about you. Thank goodness you're okay. Are you okay?" Coco leapt up onto Aster's shoulder and, as soon as he saw Meno, arched his back and hissed. "Coco? What's wrong with you? It's Meno." Meno smirked. She threw an object wrapped in red cloth over to Aster, who caught it.

"What's this?" Aster untied the knot in the cloth. "Is it lettuce or something?"

"Not a head of lettuce." Meno said. The cloth fell away from the object.

"!" Aster's eyes widened in horror. It was the head of a man, his face pale from lack of blood. Aster dropped the head onto the ground and staggered backwards until his back was against the wall.

"How about an actual head?"

"You're not…Meno…are you?" Meno chuckled.

"Took you long enough to figure it out." Meno looked up, revealing her blank eyes. "I'm surprised that the great phoenix guardian can't sense a Kishido." Meno walked towards Aster. "But that's the beauty of it. I am now living with you as your adopted sister. And you have no way of telling whether you're talking to Meno, or her other side." Meno was inches in front of Aster. "In other words, you'll never know just when I'm going to kill you. How touching. You'll get killed by your own sister."

_Swak!_

Meno staggered, her left cheek red. Her eyes returned to normal, but she didn't look back up at Aster. Aster looked just as surprised at what he did, and clutched his right hand. He narrowed his eyes angrily.

"Get real! There's no way you're my sister! I can't believe you're kidding yourself in believing that! I hate people like you! You should just die!" Meno's eyes shone, and she looked up at Aster.

"Hold on. You're…" Aster finally realised what he said. "Ah! It's not like that. I didn't know…" Meno spun around and ran out of the front door. "Wait!" The front door slammed, leaving Aster alone with Coco and the head. Aster slid his back down the wall and sat on the ground. He slapped his forehead.

"Aster, you are an idiot." Aster looked at his right hand. "I can't believe I hit her like that." Coco jumped off Aster shoulder onto the floor and looked up at him. "What are you looking at?" Coco made a chattering sound.

"Yeah, you're right. I'll apologise to Meno the next time I see her. If she's not back in an hour, I'm gonna go look for her." Coco cocked his head to the side. "I know you can't talk, but pretending you can helps me think." Coco barked twice. "I'm going to pretend I didn't pretend to hear that."

…

Meno ran onto the sand covered beach, ignoring any stares from any strangers. She reached the docks, and she crawled under the plastic cover of a boat. She lay inside the rowing boat curled up in a ball.

"He really said that." Meno whispered. "He really said that to me."

"_I hate people like you! You should just die!"_

"Has he always hated me?" The sky darkened and Meno heard rain drops land heavily on the cover of the boat. She rolled onto her back and traced the wet cover with her finger, making shapes in the condensation. Without thinking, she wrote her name MENO, and also wrote down another name; ASTER. She quickly wiped the names away with her hand.

_I guess there really is no place for me to go. _Meno thought sadly. Suddenly, she heard a pounding noise on the side of the boat.

"Who…who's there?" Meno asked shakily, sitting up.

"It's me, Kishido brat." Meno's eyes widened.

_Armstrong…_Meno lifted part of the cover up and peered out. Sure enough, Armstrong was standing right there in the rain of the night.

"Dumb girl." Armstrong said. "You shouldn't be out here. Not that I care."

"Are you here to kill me?" Meno asked.

"No. I'm here to take you to the Kishido Research Facility. But I know you'll resist so-huh?" Armstrong blinked in surprise when Meno willingly climbed out of the boat and stood in front of Armstrong.

"Go ahead." Meno said with a look of resignation in her eyes. "Take me. I have no place here." Armstrong still looked surprised, but he recovered and grinned viciously.

"There's a good girl." Armstrong grabbed Meno's shoulder, and they both disappeared in a flash of burgundy light.

"Meno!" Aster ran to that spot moments later. "Meno, you here?" Aster ripped the cover off the boat Meno was in moments ago. "Meno!" Aster tied the cover back on the boat. "This sucks!" Aster ran away from the boat and off the beach, still calling out Meno's name.

**WAAAAAAAAAAHHH! Poor Meno! Aster was such a jerk in this chapter, don't you think? Well, in the next chapter, Meno has gone missing, and Aster and the others are all desperate to find her. Will they succeed? Find out next time, only in Phoenix Fire! (Doesn't that line sound so cool?)**


	25. Chapter 25: Missing

**Is anyone on summer holidays yet? No? Well, neither am I. And that totally SUCKS! I wanna catch some rays, ya know? Not be cooped up in a school with no air conditioning! Ah, just read this new chapter already! I'm gonna go get myself a magnum! Mmm…**

Chapter 25

Missing

"AH-CHOO!" Aster sneezed loudly.

"They say that if you sneeze somebody is talking about you." Daisy said playfully. Aster collapsed on the sofa.

"I've been out all night looking for Meno. In the rain too. I think I've got a cold now."

"No sign of Meno then, huh?" Aster shook his head. Daisy kneeled down beside the sofa

"Don't worry, Aster. We'll definitely find Meno. I promise."

"Is Meno missing?"

"WAAAAH!" Aster and Daisy yelled at the same time. Unfortunately, Aster sat up so suddenly, the two of them collided heads. Zane stood behind the sofa, staring at Aster and Daisy while they clutched their heads.

"Zane, what did you do that for?" Daisy yelled.

"It was your own fault for being that close to each other."

"Oh, so now all of a sudden, a boyfriend and a girlfriend can't get close to each other?" Daisy exclaimed.

"You two are a couple?" Zane repeated, surprised. Daisy and Aster both turned red with embarrassment. "Anyway, what's this about Meno?"

"She went missing last night. I tried looking for her, but there's no sign of her." Aster turned away sadly. "I said some… unkind things. I want to apologise to her."

"What's your relationship with her?" Zane asked.

"My sister." Aster answered. "Well, my adopted sister at least. I took her in and, even though she's not related to me, she still fells like a real sister. But still…" Aster looked at his right hand.

"Aster…" Daisy started.

"I want to do all I can to help you. Even though I can't remember her properly, she's still my friend." Aster stood up.

"I'm going to go look for her again."

"We'll go with you." Daisy said.

"BIRD ON THE LOOSE!"

"Huh?" Aster turned around, just as a pigeon flew over his head. Hiruko climbed onto the sofa and jumped on it, trying to grab the bird. "Hiruko? What the hell?"

"I don't know where it came from either! Just help me out here!"

"Hiruko! You've got such a nose for trouble!" Daisy yelled, jumping up to catch the pigeon, but missing.

_So Zane really doesn't remember, huh? _Aster thought, watching as Daisy and Hiruko attempted to grab the bird. _Is something psychological preventing him from remembering?_

"Don't kill it, Hiruko!" Jaden yelled, running into the living room along with Syrus. "Dead birds are a bad omen."

"You're so superstitious, bro!"

"It's true! Pharaoh brought in a dead bird in my dorm room, and I got an F in my test the next day!"

"Could that possibly be because you're an idiot?" Daisy teased.

"Shut up! Syrus gets worse grades then me"

"Hey! I'm still in Ra Yellow!" During the chaos, Aster and Zane were rooted to the spot, sweat-dropping.

"I'll open the window." Aster tried to open a latch on the window, but it was too stiff. "Stupid thing. Come on. Open already."

"?" Zane's eyes widened.

"Zane? What's wrong?" Aster asked, just as the window opened and the pigeon flew out of it.

"I remember now." Zane muttered, shaking. "I was trying to open the window, and then she came."

Flashback

"_Are you a spell card?" Zane asked a younger Syrus whilst the three of them were on the train._

"_Yes."_

"_Do you destroy cards?"_

"_Yes"_

"_Are you Dark Hole?"_

"_Yes." Syrus sighed._

"_You really need to think of better cards for twenty questions."_

"_I'm sorry, big brother. I'm not as good as you."_

"_Alright boys, settle down." Rob said, sensing another argument brewing. Zane stood up and went to a window on the other side of the carriage, fiddling with the latch._

"_What're you doing Zane?" Syrus asked._

"_It's hot in here. I'm trying to open the window. Stupid thing. Come on. Open already." The door to the carriage suddenly opened, and Meno stepped inside with her hair hiding her eyes. Zane turned to the door, and smiled after seeing Meno._

"_Oh hi. I didn't see you at the station. Why are you on the train?" Zane asked, moving away from the window._

"_You're a liar." Meno said coldly._

"_Huh? What're you…oh, right. My cousin."_

"_Who's that, big brother?" Syrus asked, standing up and walking up to him. "Is that your friend?" Syrus looked behind Meno because of his short height and gasped._

"_What's wrong?" Zane asked. He looked into the other carriage, and was horrified. The entire second carriage was covered with cut up corpses and blood, with their faces filled with surprise, pain or shock._

"_AAAAHHHHHHHH!" Syrus screamed, running off down the carriage past Rob and crouched underneath a table with his eyes shut tightly and his hands over his ears._

"_Gah!" Zane gasped, stepping backwards away from Meno. "Did you…did you do this?"_

"_What's wrong, Zane?" Rob asked, walking towards Zane. "Is everything oka-" Suddenly, Meno shot a pink blade from her hand and sliced Rob's head off. Blood spurted out from his neck, and Zane stared at his headless father in horror, whose blood stained his t-shirt in great splats. Eventually, after some staggering, Rob's body landed on the ground, with his head rolling to Zane's feet. Zane stared at the head, trembling all over. Syrus crawled out from the table, and gasped at what he saw._

"_Why did you do this?" Zane asked, turning back round to Meno. "I thought we were friends."_

"_We are. That's why I didn't kill you." Meno looked over to Syrus. "Now I'll kill that squirt over there." Meno walked past Zane slowly and went towards Syrus._

"_Stay away from me." Syrus whimpered, as Meno began to get closer and closer to him, her right hand glowing pink._

"_NO!" Zane screamed, grabbing Meno by her waist and forcing her to the ground._

"_STOP IT! PLEASE STOP IT NO MORE! JUST STOP IT!" Zane screamed at Meno, banging her on the floor with tears falling down his face._

"_Zane, stop it." Syrus yelled. "You're hurting her."_

"_STOP IT! DON'T DO IT ANYMORE! STOP IT! PLEASE!" The train zoomed by with Zane's screams heard in muffles._

"Remembered what?" Hiruko asked, confused.

"He's remembered Meno." Jaden answered. Zane looked down, his fists clenched.

"Syrus…did you know about this?" He asked slowly.

"Um…" Syrus hesitated. "Yes." He nodded. "I know that Meno killed him. But I-"

"Are you an idiot?" Zane yelled. Syrus flinched.

"Zane, calm down." Aster said nervously, making his way to the brothers.

"Stay out of this!" Zane pushed Aster away from him so forcefully that Aster fell onto the floor. Daisy immediately went to his side.

"How can you let a murderer like her into this house? She killed our father! I'll bet she killed her own too! I can't forgive her!"

"That doesn't matter right now, Zane." Syrus turned away and began to leave. "So if you don't mind I-"

"You're not going anywhere." Zane grabbed Syrus' arm. "As you're older brother, I forbid you to look for her." Syrus' eyes widened.

"Zane…" Syrus shook Zane's grip off his arm. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?" Zane asked, confused.

"This!"

_WHAM!_

_CRASH!_

"EEEEEHH?" Daisy, Jaden, Aster and Hiruko all stared, open mouthed. Zane sat up among the broken pieces of a coffee table, the left side of his face red. Syrus looked at his fist, looking just as stunned as Zane and everyone else.

"Did Syrus just do what I just think he did?" Jaden asked.

"That depends what you saw, bro." Hiruko replied. Syrus clutched his fist.

"Ow…that kinda hurt." He muttered.

"Syrus…" Zane started.

"Listen, Zane. I can't have you talk about Meno like that. She's my friend. I know that she killed our dad, and I know that she killed her parents. In fact, I can't say that I'm not angry about it, so I can understand why you feel this way. But…she has a split personality that does all the killing. Not Meno. The Meno we know is a kind person who would never hurt anyone. The other Meno is someone completely different. I'm angry with that Meno, not the other one. That's why I want to look for her. No matter how evil her other self is, the Meno I know is Meno, and she is the one I'll look for." Syrus turned away from Zane. "I'm going now. But remember this…even though what "Meno" did was unforgivable, in my heart…I have already forgiven Meno." Syrus walked to the front door. "If any of you want to help, I'll be looking in the northern part." Syrus closed the front door behind him.

"Well…" Aster started. "I can't say I was expecting that. Wouldn't ya say so, Zaney?" Zane said nothing. "Oh...kay. Jaden. Hiruko. You look in the south. Daisy and I will search in the west. I'll get Haru and Hassleberry. They can do the east. If anyone else is available, then they can help too. Move out!" Aster clapped his hands once, and everyone was on their feet. Jaden and Hiruko ran out the front door, while Daisy waited.

"What are you waiting for?" Aster asked. Daisy discreetly pointed at Zane, then at the bookcase. "Oh, right. You just er...wait for me outside." Daisy nodded and left the room.

"You know, Zane." Aster turned back to Zane. "Syrus can't do all that searching by himself. Maybe you should help him out?" Zane said nothing, and turned away. "Or you can just sit on the remains of a table that you're going to pay for. Just..." Aster glanced at the bookcase. "Just don't stay there too long." Aster left the room, leaving Zane alone.

"_Even though what "Meno" did was unforgivable, in my heart...I have already forgiven Meno."_

_Another side, huh?_ Zane thought. He stood up and moved away from the pile that was a table. He placed a hand on the side of his face. _You've changed, bro._ He smiled to himself. _You've taught me something once again. I'm going to help as much as I can._

...

"If I was going to look for Meno..." Syrus started, sweat-dropping. He looked around at the crowd of people he was standing in the middle of. "Then I'd have thought about how!" Syrus pushed his way out of the crowd, and he eventually reached the edge and sat on an empty park bench. He placed a hand in his pocket and felt his fingers touch cold metal. Surprised, Syrus pulled it out. It was a communication medallion.

_How could I forget about this? Man, I'm such an idiot!_ Syrus thought.

"Er...Hassleberry, Haru." There was a pause, until the red orb flashed and Hassleberry's face appeared.

"Yeah? What do you want?"

"Go to the east of Domino City and look for Meno."

"What? You can't tell us what to do!"

"This er... this came from Aster, not me."

"But Meno-" Haru shoved Hassleberry out the way.

"We'll get right on it." Haru said.

"Alright. But make sure that Zane doesn't see you come out of the bookcase, otherwise our cover is blown."

"Syrus!"

"Huh?" Syrus looked up, and was surprised to see Zane running towards him. "Uh...never mind. Gotta go." Syrus quickly stuffed the medallion back into his pocket. "Zane, what are you doing here?" Syrus asked, just as Zane reached him.

"What do you think? I'm going to look for Meno." Syrus' eyes widened.

"You are? But...earlier you..."

"Yeah...I know. I only just remembered what happened, so I guess I panicked a little. Sorry. But still..." Zane flicked Syrus' forehead.

"Ow!"

"Don't punch me like that again. It hurt." Syrus smirked.

"It hurt me more than you, bro."

"So...question." Zane cocked his head to the side. "Have you thought about how you're going to look for Meno?"

"Gack!" Syrus flinched. "Uh...sort of." Syrus muttered, turning away. Silence. He hung his head. "No. I haven't." He looked back up again. "But we can't exactly say to a stranger "Hi, I'm looking for a girl who is a serial killer. Have you seen her?" can we?"

"Hmmm... this is a tough one."

"It doesn't matter." Syrus clenched his fist. "I will do whatever it takes to find Meno!"

"Syrus..." Zane started. "What do you see in Meno?"

"Well I guess you'd see a lot of guts in Meno." Syrus answered, an innocent look on his face.

"That's not what I meant. I meant...why is she your friend?"

"Huh?" Syrus blinked. "I thought I already explained it. She's a nice girl, and if anything ever happened to her, I'd never forgive myself. She means everything to me."

"I see..." Zane narrowed his eyes. "You love her, don't you?" Syrus' eyes widened.

"Well I..." Syrus turned away. "I..." Syrus was silent for a while. "Y...yes." He turned back to Zane. "Yes I am. I am in love with Meno." Syrus saw Zane's expression. "GAH! But if you don't like it, I can fall in love with someone else! I don't know how it happened! Stuff like this just comes when you least expect it!" Syrus gabbled quickly.

"Don't worry about it." Zane sighed.

"Eh?"

"I thought about what you said and I...I guess I feel the same way. I forgive Meno, not the other one. In a way, I'm glad that you've fallen in love." Syrus turned away, shocked. "What's wrong?"

"Meno is that way." Syrus said, pointing to his left.

"How can you be so sure?" Zane asked. Syrus stared at where he was pointing, dumb-founded.

"I have no idea." Syrus answered. "I can just...tell. NAH!" He grinned. "I'm sure it's nothing! Let's get searching, 'kay?"

...

"Um..." Haru stared up at a signpost pointing in multiple directions. "Let's see...er..." Haru scratched his head. "Uh..."

"Just admit it, you're lost." Hassleberry muttered.

"I'm not lost!" Haru yelled. "I'm just..."

"Yeah...lost."

"I am not!" Hassleberry folded his arms.

"Either that, or you have a crappy sense of direction."

"Okay." Haru hung his head. "You caught me." Haru looked up, smirking. "So...mind pointing us in the right direction?"

"Um...yeah. Gladly." Hassleberry said nervously. He looked up at the sign post. "Well, this is easy. We'll go that way." Hassleberry pointed to his right.

"Is it that simple?" Haru asked.

"Yeah." Hassleberry said cheerfully. He suddenly remembered what Bandit said.

"_Tell him that the gargoyle state is inside him."_

"Say...Haru?"

"Hm? What is it?" Haru asked.

"Um...have you...have you heard of the gargoyle state?"

"The...the gargoyle state?" Haru shook his head. "No. Never heard of it."

"What? But the guy said that you would know!"

"Hold on, let me think. Gargoyle state...was it mentioned at school? AH!" Haru's eyes widened. "The gargoyle state! Yes! I know what it is!"

"Really? You've heard of it?" Hassleberry beamed.

"Of course. It's an extremely rare power that only a handful of stone wielders possess. Those who have it are believed to be the greatest stone wilders alive. It grants them enhanced senses, stronger stone wielding skills, enhanced speed and strength and they gain transformation ability." Haru's eyes widened. "Wait a sec..."

"_There's this rare ability in some stone wielders. It's undetectable until it awakens inside them when they're in a state of emotional turmoil. It really dangerous, and that's why Miranda ordered all her followers to find and kill the stone wielders. And since you're the last one, they're not taking any chances to wait and see if you have this ability or not."_

"Could it be...?" Haru looked at his hand. "That I have the gargoyle state?" Haru's hand clenched into a fist. "It all makes sense now. After hearing about Sekio's mission, that must have awoken it. That's why I don't remember what happened. Hassleberry, what did I look like?"

"Um...you had clammy skin, claws, pointy ears, yellow eyes and these huge wings on your back that didn't tear your clothes." Hassleberry listed them on his fingers.

"That matches the description of the transformation exactly!" Haru slammed the fist into his palm. "That's why I have the power of telekinesis! That's why I could hear you from so far away!"

"You have telekinesis?" Hassleberry asked.

"Long story."

"But wait a minute. Aren't you afraid of heights?" Hassleberry inquired. Haru flinched.

"Yeah?" He said nervously.

"You have vertigo too, don't you?"

"Uh huh." Haru nodded. Silence.

"WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Hassleberry burst out laughing, clutching his sides.

"H-hey! It's not funny!"

"You've got wings and you're afraid of heights!" Hassleberry laughed.

"That's not even...okay, maybe it is a little funny, but that's not the point! We're supposed to be looking for Meno!"

"Guys!"

"Eh? Jaden?" Hassleberry stopped laughing, and was met with the panicked face of Jaden when he and Hiruko ran up to them.

"Did you find her?"

"No. Well, sort of. Just read this." Hiruko shoved a newspaper into Hassleberry's face.

"Let me see." Haru peered over Hassleberry shoulder as he scanned through the front page.

"What?" Hassleberry's eyes went wide.

"No way!" Haru pulled the newspaper out of Hassleberry's hands. "This is horrible!"

"We have to get Aster right away!" Jaden decided.

"Hold on, I've got a medallion." Hassleberry pulled out a medallion from his pocket. "Aster, listen up! We've found something you're not going to believe."

"What is it?"

"See for yourself." Hassleberry pointed the face of the orb at the newspaper, which Haru held up.

"W...what?" Aster gasped. The front page had printed in large letters "KISHIDO MURDERER CAPTURED AND TAKEN TO RESEARCH FACILITY!" Underneath was a picture of Meno being led into a building by men in white coats, showing no signs of resisting.

"She was kidnapped?" Daisy exclaimed, staring at the front page.

"No. Something tells me she wasn't. I mean look at her. She's so...resigned."

"Yeah, you're right." Hiruko said.

"Maybe she's been there before." Haru said. "Yesterday, she said that we'd end up dead just like "those people". Maybe she was referring to those guys in white coats?"

"That's not important right now. We have to find this research facility." Aster decided. "Where are you?"

"We're outside the Kaiba Dome." Hassleberry answered.

"'Kay. We'll be there in a second." In exactly a second, Aster teleported next to Jaden with Daisy holding onto his arm.

"AH!" Jaden jumped back in surprise. "Don't do that!"

"You've seriously got to show me how to do that."

"Right, where's Syrus?" Aster asked, ignoring Jaden and Hassleberry.

"He's-" Haru started, but was interrupted when Syrus ran past him. "Just run past us." Haru finished. Syrus skidded to a stop and spun around.

"Guys?"

"I thought you were looking in the north. What are you doing here?" Daisy asked.

"That's what I've been asking him the whole time." Zane gasped, finally catching up to his younger brother. He stopped beside Aster to catch his breath. "He says he can sense Meno or something."

"Is that true?" Hiruko asked. Syrus nodded.

"I'm not sure why, but I can just tell." Jaden and Aster looked at each other, smiling mischievously.

"It must be the power of love." Aster teased.

"No it's not!" Syrus yelled, turning red in the face.

"Syrus and Meno, sittin' in the tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Hiruko and Jaden sang.

"Stop it!"

"Where is she?" Haru asked.

"You actually believe him?" Hassleberry asked.

"I'm not sure. Let's just see where he leads us."

"It's that way." Syrus pointed across the city at the ocean.

"She's in the water?" Jaden asked.

"No. It must be an island. I mean look at this place." Aster waved the newspaper in the air. "A place filled with murderers? They have to have it on some place far away from everyone else."

"Question." Hiruko raised an arm in the air. "How do we get there?"

"Simple: we'll take my boat."

…

"Step in here." A man in a white coat ordered. "This will be where your experiments will be." Meno looked up from the floor, dressed in new attire. She was no longer wearing her usual outfit, but was instead kitted out in tight black knee length leggings and a black top that was similar to a sports bra, and she was bare footed.

"Yes." She said silently. She stepped through the double doors, and the man gave her a push from behind to make her go further. Meno staggered, but didn't fall over.

"Go to that wall." Meno obeyed, and stood with her back to it. The room she was in was completely white, with only one metal wall that had a large narrow glass window stretching all the way across the wall. Behind the glass were more people wearing white coats. Meno looked up at them.

_How funny._ Meno thought. _I recognise some of those people._ The man from before appeared behind the glass and picked up a microphone.

"Meno." He started. "You have lived for years under the belief that you are the last Kishido. However, in this very building, we have two hundred Kishido girls, who I am sure you can sense. You are the oldest of all of them, and the only one possessing the maternal power of reproducing Kishido's. Therefore, you are their queen."

"…" Meno said nothing, and remained expressionless.

"You have posed as a threat to mankind, so it is necessary for you to have returned here…experiment number thirty seven." Another man entered the room Meno was standing in. He attached a metal band around Meno's neck. As soon as the lock was in place, a red light lit up briefly before dimming down.

"The collar around your neck is programmed to shock you whenever we feel the need to do so, and to prevent you from using your powers." The scientist continued as the other man left. "This room is where we shall perform experiments on you daily. The room may change in size on certain occasions, or you may find furniture and even people, but these are all part of the experiments. At the end of each experiment, you will go to your cell, where you will be placed in restraints until you are needed again. Your cell is away from any other Kishido's, as we have discovered that Kishido's have the ability to communicate telepathically. As their queen, we are not taking any chances with you. I trust you know when you will be fed and given water. Are there any questions?" Meno gripped her bare arms, her hands shaking, before she shook her head. "Good. Then we shall proceed with the first experiment."

_What?_ Meno thought, surprised. _Already?_ The wall behind Meno rose up into the ceiling. She turned around, and she saw a gap in a lower wall directly in front of her, which led to many twists and turns. A labyrinth. Another part of the wall slid away, revealing another doorway.

"There is an exit to your right. You are to enter the one in front of you. We are going to time how long it takes for you to reach it."

_Oh…this experiment._ Meno thought. _I never was very good at it._

"GO!"

"R-right." Meno was brought back to her senses after the man yelled, prompting her to run through the doorway. "This maze doesn't look too complex. But without something to show where I've gone, I'll get lost easily. I shouldn't underestimate it." Meno nearly ran into a dead end. She immediately turned around and went another way.

"Number thirty seven looks like she's done this before." One scientist said.

"That's because she has. Number thirty seven has been here since she was eleven, but after only a year, she vanished."

"She vanished? But how? This building has high-tech security and is Kishido-proof. Not even a mouse can escape."

"I don't know either. But reports claim that the cameras in her cell were blinded in a white light, and when the light disappeared, so did she."

"That's impossible." A scientist turned back to the window, seeing Meno in the middle of the labyrinth, and already looking tired. "How did she escape?" Meno stumbled and almost lost her footing, but she clung to the wall to prevent herself from falling. She stopped running, gasping for breath and her legs trembling. As soon as she stopped, the collar around her neck flashed twice, and an electric shock went through Meno's body, causing her to scream in pain.

"Run faster, number thirty seven!"

_Why isn't this over yet?_ Meno forced herself away from the wall and carried on running. Within minutes, she saw the exit and ran straight through it. She collapsed on her back, exhausted.

"Amazing. She was ten minutes faster than the last time she did this experiment."

"She must have improved with age."

"And these brain readings from the collar are fantastic. In fact, it's better than we expected."

"In that case, let's move on to the next experiment." The wall covered up the labyrinth, and another scientist entered the room. Meno sat up after finally getting her breath back. The scientist got down on one knee beside Meno, who lifted a hand up beside him.

"Number thirty seven…" The man started, surprised.

"You're here to take a sample of my blood, aren't you?" Meno said without looking at him. "Go ahead. Do it. And there's no need to try and be gentle. I have already got used to the conditions here, and that includes needles."

"I…" Meno looked over at him.

"And set the cannon to three hundred joules for the next experiment. That's how far I got last time."

"…" The scientist stared at Meno, surprised. He quickly shook his head and pulled an empty syringe out of his jacket. He placed the tip into Meno's hand, who didn't even flinch. As soon as the blood was in the syringe, he stood up and hurried out of the room.

"She didn't even try to attack me." He said as soon as he entered the small room. "And she told me the settings of the cannon as if it were nothing. She used to be terrified of it, but she's acting so calm."

"It's almost as if she's accepted her fate." A female scientist whispered.

"This is no time for pity." A male scientist snapped. "Place the restraints on her arms and set the cannon to three hundred joules." After hearing the commands, Meno sat up on her knees and raised her arms against the wall, where the restraints clamped over her upper arms and lower arms.

_I thought they would do this experiment. _Meno looked up at the glass window. Underneath it, part of the wall moved away, revealing the point of a cannon sticking out of a glass window. A red light shone from the tip, revealing a red dot on Meno's chest. _I used to be afraid of this experiment, but now, for some reason…I'm not afraid anymore._

"FIRE!"

_Boom!_

A metal shot-put fired at Meno, and it quickly flashed pink, and it crashed next to Meno's head, denting the tiled wall and falling to the floor.

"She deflected it. As expected. Set the cannon for three hundred and ten joules." The red light once again appeared on Meno's chest.

_Maybe it's because of Aster. Because of his words, I understood something. I understood that there is no place for me anymore. It was inevitable that I would end up here._

"FIRE!"

BOOM!

The shot-put fired again, glowed pink and crashed into the wall. Meno had by then completely shut herself away from the activities going on, her powers acting on instinct.

_Eventually, I will die here. I've accepted that now. But, I don't feel sad. How strange…_

BOOM!

CRASH!

_Maybe it's all the happy times I've spent with everyone. It's because of all the times I've spent with them that I'm happy._ _I have no regrets._ Meno closed her eyes and smiled to herself.

BOOM!

CRASH!

"No regrets…" Meno whispered.

BOOM!

Meno looked up at the shot-put whistling towards her. It glowed pink, but didn't slow down. Meno's eyes widened.

_It's not stopping!_ She thought.

_Crack!_

The shot-put hit her directly in the chest. Meno gasped as she felt some of her ribs crack.

"Hmph. Guess three hundred and thirty is the limit right now."

_Aster…Syrus…Papa…Zane…everyone…thank you._ Meno thought, and she lost consciousness.

"_Are you serious?"_

"!" Meno's eyes snapped open, and she was in darkness with only a hint of purple light. Voice appeared behind her, glowing white and covered in bandages with her only uncovered eye staring down at her. Meno stood up and backed away from voice, afraid.

"_After everything you've done, you're just going to give up?"_

"It's not what I've done; it's what you've done!" Meno yelled. She placed a hand on her chest. "I didn't kill all those innocent people, you did!"

"_Oh, please. You sound just like that girly boy."_ Voice folded her arms. _"Are you seriously going to leave them behind?"_

"I don't understand." Meno said.

"_You idiot. I'm talking about your friends."_ Meno's eyes widened. She turned her back to Voice, clutching her arms.

"I have no place to return to. Aster said so himself. He never saw me as his sister."

"_You've gotta be kidding me!"_ Voice peered over Meno's shoulder. _"Aster was talking to me, not you. Well...he would be if he didn't slap me like that."_ Meno gasped.

"So...he really does care about me." Meno smiled, and tears filled her eyes. "I'm glad." Meno clutched her hands as the tears fell down her face. "I'm so glad."

Meanwhile, back in the real world, a scientist was by Meno's side, unfastening the restraints around her arms. His eyes widened. He saw a smile appear on Meno's face and a tear fall down her cheek.

"_There, you see? People do care about you."_ Voice said. _"The last thing they want is for you to be in a hell hole like this. So what are you waiting for? Get out of here!"_ Meno wiped her tears away with her arm. She looked up, determination in her eyes.

"Yes." Meno said.

"_I'd better help you out later on. After all, security is tough."_

"O...Okay." Meno nodded. "But give me my body back after this is over."

"_Whatever."_ Voice disappeared, and in the real world, Meno's eyes opened.

"Number thirty seven..." Meno stood up and walked forward several paces without looking at the scientist. "Number thirty seven!" Meno turned around and glared at the scientist.

"Now we'll see how you can deflect the cannon balls." She said acidly. The scientist's eyes widened. A cannon ball on the ground glowed pink and hovered in the air, before shooting straight into the scientist's chest, knocking him out cold.

"Oh, dear. I didn't hurt him, did I?" Meno whispered. She sighed with relief when she heard the scientist groan. An alarm went off, and a pair of doors opened up in front of Meno. Several guards wearing a black uniform and equipped with black machine guns ran in. They all aimed their guns at Meno.

"Number thirty seven. Turn yourself in, or we'll shoot." Meno disappeared from the spot, and teleported inside the control room where the scientists were. They all screamed and ran away from her. Meno calmly picked up a black rubbish bag lying in the corner on the room and opened it up. Inside were her clothes. Another group of guards ran in at that moment, and they too pointed their guns at her.

"Number thirty seven. Turn yourself in now, or we'll be forced to kill you." Meno looked out the window, and saw the other group of guards aiming their guns at her.

"My name is not number thirty seven." Meno said. "My name is Meno Phoenix."

"Number thirty seven. I am asking you one final time." Meno gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. "Turn yourself in now, or we'll-"

"MY NAME IS MENO!" Meno screamed, and a huge column of pink light burst throught he ceiling, turning the sky dark. Meno walked out of the control room, the light never leaving that spot and still clutching her bag.

"_Let me take control for a while. You won't get out alive without me."_

"Yes." Meno looked up, and her eyes became blank.

…

"Okay, Syrus. Which way?" Jaden asked, jumping up to the boat, and clambering onto it as soon as he had a proper grip on it.

"There is a ladder you know." Aster pointed out.

"Damn I forgot."

"I'm trying to concentrate!" Syrus snapped. "That's weird. I can't sense her anymore."

"What do you mean?" Daisy asked.

"It's like...it's like she disappeared. But...she was that way." Syrus pointed across the ocean.

"Well then, let's go." Aster stepped on the first rung of the ladder and jumped up onto the boat the rest of the way.

"Er...we're going across water?" Haru asked nervously.

"Of course." Hassleberry said, getting on the boat followed by Zane, Syrus, Daisy and Hiruko. "Is something wrong?"

"What if I fall in?" Haru asked.

"You can swim back on." Aster answered.

"That's the problem." Haru rubbed the back of his head nervously. "I can't swim." Everyone stared at Haru with blank looks.

"Don't be silly!" Aster and Jaden exclaimed at the same time, grinning.

"I'm serious. I can't swim."

"Come on, Haru. There's lifejackets on the boat. And if you're so worried about falling in, just stay inside the boat. Now come one!" Hassleberry grabbed Haru's arm.

"Hassle-whoa!" Hassleberry pulled Haru off the ground and onto the boat. "Don't do that!"

"Let's get going! Meno needs us!" Hassleberry yelled. Aster looked out the window of the controls and gave Hassleberry a thumbs up.

"On it! Straight ahead, right Syrus?" Syrus nodded. "Alright then!" The engine started, and the boat charged forward.

"WHOA!" Everyone fell over on the deck, with the exception of Zane and Hiruko, who clung to the railing to prevent themselves from falling over.

"Easy, Aster!" Hiruko yelled, clinging onto the railing.

"Sorry. It's been a while since I've used this thing. Just gimme a sec." Several seconds later, the boat slowed down.

"That's better." Hassleberry sat up.

"I think I'm going to be sick." Syrus moaned, lying on his back.

"Let me get out the way first!" Daisy exclaimed, scrambling away from Syrus.

"Right. I should have warned you that Sy doesn't have a strong stomach on the water." Aster left the controls and walked onto the deck. He blinked as he realised everyone was staring at him. "What?" Aster looked up at the controls, then back at his friends. "Oh, don't worry. It's on auto-pilot."

"Auto-pilot? What's that?" Haru asked.

"If you don't know, never mind." Zane sighed. "Jaden, how come your fox is back?"

"What?" Aster spun around, and Coco landed on his shoulder and rubbed himself against Aster's face. "Jaden? Did you leave your duel disk on again?" Aster grumbled angrily?

"Aster, that's-" Haru started, but Hassleberry quickly clamped his hand over Haru's mouth.

"That's his neighbour's, er, cat!" Hassleberry said quickly. "He's always following Aster!"

_Damn. That's right._ Haru thought. _Zane's here._

"Yeah, he's pretty annoying. I'll take care of him until we get back to Domino City. Jaden. Hiruko. Get below deck and make sure Syrus doesn't make a mess on my boat."

"Got it!" Jaden and Hiruko saluted and dragged Syrus into the lounge.

"If he senses Meno again, let me know!" Aster yelled through the doorway.

"Whatever." Hiruko yelled back.

"Haru. Hassleberry. Keep on the lookout for any islands. Daisy, you're coming with me."

"Okay." Daisy nodded.

"What about me?" Zane asked.

"You can...um...gee, I don't know. Hey, don't give me that look! Fine, Haru and Hassleberry can keep lookout on that end, and you can take the other end okay?" Aster turned around to the door that leads back to the controls. "And for god's sake, don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"I have no idea what you wouldn't do."

"You know what I mean. Come on, Daisy." Aster and Daisy disappeared from Zane's sight.

"Moron." Zane hissed. "What are you looking at?" He glared at Haru and Hassleberry.

"Nothing!" The both yelped at the same time, and dashed off to the other end of the boat. Zane walked towards the edge of the boat, just in time to see Domino City disappear into the horizon.

...

"See anything yet?" Hassleberry asked in a bored tone, his chin resting on the metal railing.

"Nothing. You?" Haru asked in an equally bored tone.

"Nope." Hassleberry answered.

"How about now?"

"Again, no." Silence

"This sucks!" Hassleberry pushed himself away from the railing. "We've been at it for half an hour, and we still don't know where Meno is! This would be done a lot faster if Zane wasn't here. Like, Aster could fly around the ocean for a while, or something."

"I know, but like it or not, it's happening."

"Hmmm... but what if we used powers discreetly?" Hassleberry said thoughtfully, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Haru, you have enhanced senses right?"

"Hm? Oh...yeah I do. I have a little control over them, so it doesn't get too unbearable."

"Sooooo...can you use them to hear Meno from far away?" Silence.

"Why didn't I think of that?" Haru said, smacking his forehead. "Okay. Here I go." Haru cupped a hand around his ear and closed his eyes. After several seconds, Haru opened his eyes.

"Well? Did you get anything, Radio Haru?"

"Does a flock of seagulls twenty miles away count?" Haru asked. Hassleberry and Haru hung their heads with exasperated sighs.

"This is hopeless." Hassleberry groaned.

"Did you have to call me Radio Haru? It makes me feel like a robot."

_Rumble!_

"What was that?" Haru asked, looking up.

"What was what?"

_Rumble!_

"That."

"I don't know. It sounds like...thunder."

"Thunder? But the weather said we would have clear skies today."

"Haru, don't trust what the weather forecast says, because fifty per cent of the time, they're wrong." In the distance, black clouds began to appear in the sky, and they slowly went towards the boat.

"I don't like the look of these clouds." Hassleberry said nervously, as the clouds reached the boat and darkened the sunlight. Suddenly, the boat began rocking back and forth violently, and the two of them were drenched in rain in a matter of seconds.

"Whoa!" Haru clung to the railing to prevent himself from falling over. "Where did this storm come from?"

"It's not a storm!"

"What are you talking about?" Haru yelled. "The sky is dark, there's thunder and lightning, the wind is powerful enough to be a typhoon and it's pouring with rain! Of course it's a storm!"

"I know but...it's not a real storm."

"Wha...what makes you say that?"

"Over there? You see that?" Hassleberry pointed ahead, and there was a narrow beam of light in the distance.

"I see it."

"That's the eye of the storm. But look even closer at it. What do you see?"

"Well...I see an island, and the light is..." Haru's eyes widened. "It's pink."

"Figured it out?"

"You don't think...You think Meno is causing this?"

...

"What in the hell's happening here?" Daisy yelled, clinging to the steering wheel to prevent her from falling over.

"Is it a hurricane?" Aster asked.

"This stupid storm...is stopping me from...steering!" Daisy struggled with the wheel, but the boat didn't stay on a straight path. Quickly, Aster pulled a lever and pulled the steering wheel to the left, and the boat was back on the correct path.

"I've never seen anything like it. It's so-" A thunderbolt suddenly crashed in front of the boat, and Aster immediately stopped talking, wide eyed.

"It's so what?" Daisy asked, taking over the wheel.

"Er...I'm sorry. I can't remember what we were talking about."

"Seriously?" Daisy dead panned. "That's so unlike you."

"Well it doesn't matter right now. Get everyone inside. I'll take over things here."

"Alright." Daisy opened a window. "Hassleberry! Haru! Zane! Get below deck now!" Haru and Hassleberry dashed inside the room just a second later, completely drenched. "I said below deck!"

"Zane's there now." Hassleberry shook the water off his head.

"We think we know what's causing the storm." Haru said, squeezing some water out of his blonde hair.

"Really? So it's not natural?" Daisy asked, handing the two of them towels, which they immediately grabbed to rub their heads dry.

"No. There's an island ahead, and a weird light." Hassleberry mumbled behind his towel.

"Meno." Daisy said.

"Meno's responsible for this?" Aster turned around from the controls. "That doesn't make any sense at all." A bolt of lightning flashed, followed by an extremely loud thunder clap. Aster gasped, and he let go of the steering wheel, causing the boat to steer out of control.

"What're you doing, Aster?" Haru quickly took hold of the wheel. "This isn't the time to daydream. Hassleberry, how do you use this thing?"

"It's called a boat, Haru." Hassleberry grabbed the other end of the wheel. "A luxury yacht to be exact."

"I know, but I've never seen one like this."

"Really?"

"Does it matter right now?"

"It does if you don't know how to use it!"

"Okay, okay! Straight ahead, right?"

"Right."

"This way?" Haru tugged the steering wheel to the right.

"No! Not that way!"

"Yes it is! See? There's the island!"

"Oh. So it is."

"Daisy, can you help us out here?"

"Oh, give it here!" Daisy shoved Haru and Hassleberry out of the way and got the boat heading towards the island again. "Honestly, you two. You're so alike, you'll be the death of me someday!"

"What're you talking about? We're not alike at all." Haru and Hassleberry said at the same time.

"You're exactly alike!" Daisy yelled. "Aster! Stop spacing out and help me out already!"

"Huh? Oh...right." Aster pulled two more levers, but still looked rather dazed.

"Alright, you two. Thanks for that information. Go to the others now. We can handle things down here. If we need you again, I'll call you, okay?" Daisy said. Haru and Hassleberry nodded, and went outside again to get below deck. "Honestly. Those two really are alike, don't you think?"

"Yeah I...I guess." Aster muttered.

"What's wrong with you?" Daisy asked, hands on her hips. "You don't space out like this unless you're tired." Daisy placed a hand on Aster's forehead, and felt her own forehead with her other hand. "It doesn't feel like you have a fever."

"Daisy, I'm fine." Aster shrugged off Daisy's hand.

"I'm not convinced. I'm gonna go get the first aid kit downstairs. You keep control of the boat here." Daisy turned around and began to walk away. There was another crash of thunder, making Aster flinch.

"Wait!" Aster spun around and grabbed the bottom of Daisy's collar. She stopped walking and turned around, surprised.

"Aster?" Aster let go of Daisy's shirt, looking just as dumb founded as her.

"Er...I...I'm sorry." Aster apologised, bringing his hands up apologetically. "I don't know what-"

_Krash!_

"AH!" Aster clutched his head, his body shaking.

"Aster!" Quickly, Daisy set the boat to auto-pilot and placed her hands on Aster's shoulders. "Aster, what's wrong?"

"I have no idea." Aster answered. "All of a sudden, I'm really scared." There was another flash of lightning, causing Aster to fall onto his knees with a yelp.

"Aster... Are you afraid of thunderstorms?" Daisy asked, dropping onto her knees in front of Aster.

"No." Aster shook his head. "I wasn't afraid of them before, so why I'm afraid now doesn't make any sense." Aster slammed a fist on the floor. "Damn. I shouldn't be afraid of anything. Not at a time like this."

"It's alright."

"Wha..." Aster looked up, and Daisy pulled Aster into a hug.

"It's okay if you're afraid of something. It's perfectly natural, especially if you developed it just now. I don't mind one little bit." Daisy smiled softly. "Do you remember when we talked about our worst fears back at Dual Academy?"

"Yeah." Aster smiled. "You admitted you were scared of spiders."

"Ha-ha! Yep, guilty as charged. But you were stubborn as usual. You refused to say what you were afraid of."

"Jaden heard about it, and you, Hassleberry, Jesse and Syrus made it your quest to discover my worst fear." Aster grumbled, narrowing his eyes

"Eheheheh" Daisy laughed nervously. "It was Jaden's idea. Besides, they were bored. Honestly! We tried everything! Spiders, snakes, the dark, closed spaces, sharp objects, did I miss any out?"

"Don't forget that time you dragged me to the roof of the academy." Aster said.

"Yeah, and that. Jaden even took you to the Slifer Red dorm's abandoned room."

"I'd never seen so many rats in my whole life until that day."

"We just couldn't figure it out. You were utterly fearless, so I gave up and we never mentioned it again...until now."

"Eh?" Aster looked up at Daisy, pulling himself out of Daisy's hold slightly.

"You can now answer my question." Daisy said, smiling cheerfully. "Let's try it again. Are you afraid of anything? I'm afraid of spiders. What's your fear?" Aster blinked in surprise. "Well?"

"I...I'm afraid of thunderstorms." Aster answered, smiling.

"Yay! You finally answered my question!" Daisy clapped her hands together happily. "Wow. Now we're even closer than ever!"

"Hey, I guess we are. And I don't hear the thunder anymore. I think it's stopped." At that moment, there was a crash of thunder. "Gack!" Aster immediately placed his hands over his ears. "Never mind." At that moment, the boat stopped rocking, and the thunderstorm stopped as well. "Huh?" Aster stood up and looked outside.

"Did it stop?" Daisy asked, also standing up.

"No. We're in the eye of the storm." Aster walked up to the wheel, and saw that the island was only a few miles away. "That beam of light is the source of it all." Aster's fist clenched. "Meno..." Aster dashed out of the door to the deck of the boat.

"Aster!" Daisy ran after him, being careful not to slip on the slippery wood. Aster skidded to a stop, and reached into the pocket of his jacket. "What are you going to do?"

"Daisy...stay here with the others." Aster said, pulling out his manacle and slipping it on his arm. "And don't follow me. I'm going to save Meno."

"What if Zane sees you?" Daisy protested. Aster looked over his shoulder and gave Daisy a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry. He's not gonna see me. I'll be back here with Meno soon. I promise."

"Okay." Daisy nodded. "I have faith in you." With that, Aster turned back around, waved his hand over the manacle to activate the wings, and flew off towards the island. Coco climbed up Daisy's legs and sat on her shoulder. Daisy patted him on the head.

"Don't worry, Coco. Aster is going to be okay. He says he'll come back with Meno, so he will." Daisy looked back at the island. "I know he will."

...

"No! Get away from me!" A scientist burst through a set of double doors and outside the building, just moments before his head was sliced off his body. Meno calmly pushed the doors open and walked outside, holding the bin bag containing her clothes and not a single drop of blood on her. Her eyes regained their shine, and the pillar of light disappeared, along with the storm clouds. Meno sighed.

"I made it." She said. "Now...how do I get back?"

"Geez, there was so much rain!"

"Someone's coming!" Meno quickly ducked behind a bush, just as Aster landed on the ground and deactivated the phoenix wings.

"I thought there wasn't supposed to be rain in the eye." Aster moaned, shaking the water out of his hair. "Oh, well. At least it's stopped." He stared up at the huge building before him. "Well. This looks like the place."

_Aster..._ Meno thought.

"It's kinda...big. And bulky too. I guess I'd better be careful not to be seen." Aster clapped his hands once. "Okay! Here I go!"

"Wait!" Meno cried, jumping out from behind the bushes.

"Huh?" Aster blinked. "Meno?"

"Don't go in there! You...you won't like what's in there."

"I'm sure it's not that bad." Aster pushed the door open slightly and peered inside. He closed it shut quickly and pulled a face. "I stand corrected." Meno turned away.

"I'm sorry. I had to use my other side to escape."

"But why did you let yourself get captured?" Aster demanded. "Do you have any idea how worried you made me?" Meno flinched, and Aster calmed down immediately. "Oh...I get it. It's my fault, right?"

"Wha..." Meno started.

"Did you go because you thought I hated you?" Aster asked. "Or did I say something I shouldn't have?"

"Aster, I-"

"Whatever it is, I'M SORRY!" Aster yelled, giving Meno a low apologetic bow. Meno stared at Aster, taken aback by the apology.

"Um...Aster?" Meno eventually said. "You can sit up now."

"Oh...okay." Aster straightened his back. "So, we're cool right?"

"Uh...yeah?" Meno twirled some blue hair around her finger. "I...guess we are."

"I really had no idea I was talking to you. It was just that I thought it was the evil you, seeing as you, I mean she, had a head with you, I mean her. Ah, my head hurts!" Meno giggled.

"Its okay, Aster. As long as you came here to rescue me, then you don't have to worry about anything."

"But still..." Aster blushed and pointed at Meno's outfit. "What in the world are you wearing?"

"Um...well... it's..." Meno stuttered, her cheeks turning pink. She was interrupted when Aster took the bin bag and thrust it towards Meno.

"Just...just put some clothes on." Aster said, refusing to look at her. "If Daisy finds you like this, she'll kill me." Meno nodded, took the bag and scrambled behind a bush. Aster stared up at the research facility once again.

"So...this is the Kishido Research Facility, right?"

"Y-yes."

"It's a bit big for one girl, don't you think?" Aster asked. "I mean, I know you're dangerous, but come on."

"Well...about that."

"Huh?" Aster stared at the bush Meno was behind. "What is it?"

"I was wrong. When I arrived here, I could sense many Kishido's. More than one hundred."

"One hundred?" Aster exclaimed.

"Perhaps even more. If they're underground, then I can't sense them."

"This is insane." Aster shook his head in disbelief.

"It's called safety." Meno stepped out of the bushes, now fully clothed in her red skirt, white blouse and pink cardigan. "Kishido's are incredibly dangerous." Meno continued, pulling on her socks and fastening her shoes. "They have restraints on them to prevent them from using their powers unless they are deactivated." Meno pulled down the collar of her shirt, revealing a scar across her neck. "See this? I got this when I came here. The restraints are around the neck. Mine broke off when I was escaping."

"But...this scar looks really old. You couldn't have got it recently." Aster said, examining the scar.

"You're right." Meno said. "Before I met your mother...I was an experiment here." Aster's eyes widened.

"You...you were?" Meno nodded.

"I went under the name experiment number thirty seven. And, for two years, this was my home." Meno took Aster's hand.

"..." Aster stared down at his hand.

"Come. I'll show you. It's time you knew about me."

**Hey hey hey! Meno's gonna give Aster an official tour of the Kishido Research Facility. Hmmm...not exactly pleasant, I'll give you that. But, does Meno's other side have other ideas? Stay tuned, and you'll find out!**


	26. Chapter 26: The Favour

**How ya guys doin'? I know how I'm doing; lousy. A levels are SOOOOO hard! I've hardly had time to do this chapter! You guys are lucky I'm even trying to update regularly! Geez, Louise! Ahem, well, er, in this chapter there is a grand tour of the Kishido Research Facility! However, something tells me that Meno's other side might have other plans…**

Chapter 26

The Favour

"Come. I'll show you." Meno pushed open one of the doors. "It's time you knew about me." She walked inside the building, still holding Aster's hand.

"Meno...hold on a second. Are you absolutely sure about this?" Aster protested, letting go of Meno's hand before he could even fully enter the building.

"Of course." Meno looked over her shoulder, smiling. "We are family after all."

"..." Aster looked down at the blood covered floor. "I guess..." He muttered.

"So come on. My room is close by." Meno ran down the corridor. "This way!"

"Meno!" Aster ran after her through the corridors. "Wait for me!"

…

"We're here." Meno stopped running, and stared up at what was in front of them. A huge set of steel doors reaching up to the top of the high ceiling was before them.

"This was your room?" Aster asked as Meno crouched beside a scientist that had lost both arms and a leg.

"Yes." Meno said, taking a card from the man's pocket. She stood up and showed it to Aster. "This is the key to every room in this facility. Everyone carries one of these. Even the cleaners." Meno swiped the card over a metal lock. It flashed green with a beep. There was a low rumbling noise, and the large steel doors gradually started to open.

"This way." Meno walked through the doors before they were fully open. "If we're not out of this room in five minutes, the alarm will go off."

"R-right." Aster ran inside the dark room. "Where are the lights?"

"Any second now." Meno answered. Sure enough, a single spotlight lit up on one area. Aster's eyes widened. In front of them was what looked like a large straight jacket long enough to contain an entire human, with a dozen small black belts hanging loosely around it. The jacket was supported by a metal stand, and a half broken metal helmet lay on the floor, along with miles of broken metal chains.

"They'd restrain me so much that I couldn't move. The helmet was a safety measure that any dangerous Kishido was required to wear. It prevented us from seeing anything." Meno picked up the biggest piece of the helmet. "You couldn't see. You could barely hear. There wasn't even a proper mouth hole, so any meals were fed through a tube." Meno dropped it back onto the ground, breaking it. "I felt like an animal."

"But you're not." Aster protested. "You're human." Meno turned around and faced Aster.

"You haven't even seen half of it yet. This is just the beginning. Are you sure you want to go on?" Aster hesitated before answering.

"Yes."

...

"This way." Meno silently pushed a door open and slipped inside another dark room, Aster following closely behind. "Stay down."

"Why?"

"Just stay down. And keep your voice down." Meno whispered. Aster nodded. "Over here." Meno crawled under a desk.

"So, where are we?" Aster asked, crawling under the same desk.

"This is one of the experiment rooms. Sometimes, a Kishido has her own experiment room, but that is hardly ever the case."

"Experiment room?" Aster repeated.

"Yes. Each room has a different function. There are reactions, brain readings and powers development to name a few."

"What's this one?" Aster asked.

"Listen." Meno said. "Do you hear that?"

"I...think I do. It sounds like...electricity."

"That's this room's experiment." Meno closed her eyes. "Not many come out of this alive."

"Why not?" Meno opened her eyes.

"Because this tests how long a Kishido lasts in a life and death situation.

"?"

"Look." Meno crawled out from under the desk and, still kneeling on the floor, looked over it.

"What is it?" Aster asked, joining her.

"Over there." Meno pointed at a large glass window into a room no smaller than a bathroom. Aster gasped. Inside was a girl of eight years old, wearing the black outfit Meno wore previously and with the same blue hair, except it was just past her shoulders. Her arms were held up by chains attached to the walls. "Her name is number fifty. She's been here since she was born, and this is the first time she's been in this experiment."

"What happens?"

"You'll see soon." Meno said sadly.

"!" It was then that Aster spotted the wires hidden around the chains. They began to glow blue, and the girl's eyes widened.

"No... Please..." She begged. "No more..." Electricity began to crackle around the chains. "No mo-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" The girl screamed loudly as electricity filled almost the whole of the small room she was in. Aster's hands immediately covered his ears, whilst Meno turned away sadly.

"What is this?" Aster muttered. "What in the world is this? This is horrible. Those people..." Aster closed his eyes tightly when he heard the girl scream louder. "I can't take it!" Aster placed one foot on the desk and prepared to climb over it, but Meno grabbed his arm.

"Don't." She said.

"Do you expect me to sit here and watch her get tortured like that?" Aster yelled.

"But what can you do?" Meno asked. Aster's eyes widened. "How will you save her?" Aster jumped off the desk.

"Let's just get out of here." Aster said in a helpless voice.

...

"We're underground?" Aster exclaimed, walking out of a steel lift. The two of them were in a large tunnel lit up by faint lights hanging from the ceiling, and there were no metal floors or doors; just earth. There were small mounds on both sides of the wall, and metal doorways with slits in the centre acted as prisons.

"This is where genetic research takes place." Meno said. "Kishido's who have not yet developed their powers are kept here, along with failed experiments."

"Failed?" Aster repeated.

"Yes." Meno nodded. She looked to her left. There was a wooden door in the wall. "Step in there if you wish to see their fate." Hesitating slightly, Aster reached for the handle and twisted it, opening the door. He stepped into a room with white tiles for a floor and grey metal for walls. There was a large window on one wall over a control panel, but it was dark. However, Aster could faintly hear the whirring of machinery.

"In this room, they dispose of failed Kishido experiments in the most useful way they can." Meno went to the control panel and flicked a switch. Immediately, the lights switched on behind the window. Aster's eyes widened in horror. Before them was row after row of bloody spines with the rib cages still attached, all moving past the window on a conveyor belt.

"They rip out their spines and store them for biological research. See those black numbers on them? Those represent the names of each experiment." At that moment, another spine passed by them, and it had the number 50 written on the back. "The girl from before must have died." Meno closed her eyes.

"!" Aster's hand covered his mouth and he collapsed on his knees, coughing.

"Aster!" Meno knelt by Aster's side. "If you want to, we can stop."

"No." Aster gasped. "You wanted to show me, so that's what we're going to do." Aster stood up. "So, what else happens down here?"

BEEP!

"Oh no!" Meno gasped. "Someone's coming!" Meno grabbed Aster's hand. "Quick! This way!" Meno ran out of the room with Aster in tow, and dived into an open prison, sliding the door shut. Aster and Meno peered through the gap, just as two scientists walked in.

"It seems that they took care of the Kishido queen." One said.

"Of course they did. Without her, all of our research would have gone to waste."

"Okay. This is the one." The scientists stood with their backs to Meno and Aster, facing a prison two doors down. A scientist slid the door open.

"Come out." He ordered. A young girl of eight years old wearing the experiment uniform crawled out. Her blue hair was down to her waist, and there was a vacant look in her eyes and face.

"So? What's so special about this experiment, Iwashita?" The other scientist demanded. "She looks pretty dense to me."

"Patience." Iwashita moved the girl's fringe away from her forehead. There was a white circle inside her forehead. "See this? This connects directly to the brain. As long as this cap is inside her head, she'll obey our every instruction without fail."

"_Every_ instruction?"

"Yes." Iwashita nodded.

"Prove it." The scientist challenged.

"Very well." Iwashita reached into his pocket and pulled out a large knife. He placed it into the girl's hands. "Number six." The girl looked up at him, blinking innocently. "Stab your arm with this knife. That's a command." She blinked. Her grip tightened on the handle of the knife, and she stabbed it straight into her left arm.

"!" Meno and Aster managed to suppress their gasps somehow, as the girl twisted the knife deeper and deeper into her arm, and dragged it upwards, increasing the size of the wound, and all the while, she never expressed any ounce of pain.

"Stop." Iwashita ordered. She obeyed, and pulled the knife out, along with a large gush of blood. "Well?"

"Stabbing an arm is stabbing an arm. It doesn't show absolute obedience. If you instructed her to kill herself, then I would believe you."

"If that will convince you." Iwashita looked at the girl, who was licking the blood around her wound. "Number six. Using that knife, stab your heart. That's a command." The girl blinked.

"He can't be serious." Aster whispered. Meno gripped his hand.

"Even if you're angry, try to hold back. We can't give ourselves away." She whispered back.

"Do it." Iwashita said firmly. The girl raised the knife and, gripping it with both hands, levelled it with her chest. She pressed the point against her skin, drawing a little blood. In one second, she pressed down on the knife, and it went all the way through her heart, the tip emerging through her back. Silence. Suddenly, a huge gush of blood overflowed from the new wound, while the girl remained expressionless. Aster and Meno recoiled away from their door in horror

"It really works." The other scientist said. "Absolute obedience."

"Indeed." Iwashita nodded. The girl collapsed on the ground, her eyes lifeless. "But we lost another subject."

"Oh, well." The other scientist walked past Iwashita towards the elevator. "We can always use her spine. Let's write up the report."

"Right." Both scientists entered the elevator, and soon, Aster and Meno were left alone. Slowly, Meno slid their door open, and they both crawled out of it, but neither of them stood up.

"That bastard." Aster muttered. "That girl hasn't done anything, but he still experimented on her and ordered her to kill herself." Aster clenched his fist. "And all he says is "oh, well"? That bastard!" Aster punched the metal door. "Bastard!" Aster punched the door with the same fist again, and carried on punching it with the same hand, yelling "Bastard!" every time.

"Aster!" Meno gasped. "Stop it!" Meno grabbed Aster's arm before he could punch the metal door again. "Your hand's bleeding now." Aster looked at his right hand. The right knuckles were now bleeding from punching the metal so hard.

"It's fine." Aster stood up. "I just needed to let off some steam, that's all."

"But you're hurt." Meno protested.

"It's fine." Aster showed Meno his hand. Small orange stars were dancing around his hand, and the cuts were erased. "Er...I hate to ask this, but...who else is in those cages?"

"Failed experiments." Meno answered quietly. "Many of the girls here have had genetic modifications made to them. Some of them are successful and have the luxury of staying up there, but the rest are confined in here until they die. That way, their spines can be removed." While Meno spoke, Aster knelt down in front of a metal door and looked through the gap. Inside was an extremely skinny girl of five years old with tomboy short blue hair and the white circular device inside her head. She looked up weakly, a blank look in her eyes.

"Hi..." Aster said helplessly. The girl crawled towards the door and reached a shaking hand out to the gap. Aster moved back when the fingers came through and clung to the edge.

"Pl...please..." She said. Aster clenched his fist before reaching out and touching her small hand lightly.

"I'm sorry. I wish I could help you. I really do." Aster grip tightened on her hand. "But I can't." Aster turned away, feeling his eyes sting. "I'm sorry." His arm dropped by his side. "I'm so sorry!" Aster yelled, burying his face into his hands.

"Aster..." Meno knelt by Aster's side and placed an arm around him. "It's okay."

"It's not okay!" Aster yelled, turning to face Meno. "You spent years of your life here, and these girls haven't done anything wrong to be locked up in here. The only sin they've committed is being born a Kishido, but that doesn't matter to me, so why should it matter to those bastards? They lock up baby girls like animals and torture them with experiments that are one big joke! They call that research? Girls are dying because of their "research", and they just shrug it off and move on to the next one! You're human! Just because you have powers doesn't give them an excuse to isolate you like this! This lifestyle..." Aster's hand clenched the dirt on the floor. "It's just..." Tears fell down Aster's face. "It's just too sad."

"Aster...you don't have to cry for me." Meno said, smiling.

"I know..." Aster rubbed his eyes with his arm. "I just wish I could have helped you somehow. I wish I could have prevented you and all the girls in this building from living like this."

"But...what would you do?" Meno asked.

"Well, first I'd..." Aster's eyes widened. "Then I'd..." Aster glanced at the floor. "Then..." Aster closed his eyes with a defeated sigh.

"See?" Meno smiled sadly. "There's nothing you could have done."

"But I could have helped you make a better future for you. One without killing."

"It's alright." Meno said. "I'm happy the way things are now."

"Huh?" Meno stood up.

"I know that it's every Kishido's destiny to end up in this building some time or another. I've accepted that now. But, my time came and went. I guess, in a way, I'm grateful to your mother for releasing me." Meno brought her hands up to her chest. "It's true that it wasn't a walk in the park living there either, but it's thanks to her that I got to meet you and Syrus and papa and everyone else. That's enough for me. Having fun with you. Fighting with you. Even laughing with you. That's enough for me. I know my other side comes out when I least expect it, but somehow...I know I'll get through it." She smiled happily at Aster. "Because you cried for me."

"Yeah." Aster smiled back at her. "Meno...there's something I want to ask you." Aster said, standing up. Meno blinked.

"Yes, what is it?"

"Well er... I know this may sound weird but...do you regret killing?"

"Every day,"

"Wait, let me rephrase that. What I want to know is...is there anybody you don't regret killing?" Aster asked. Meno's eyes widened.

"I..." Meno clutched her arm and turned away from Aster.

"If...if you don't want to answer, its okay. I was just curious."

"Yes." Meno said suddenly

"What?"

"There are some people I don't regret killing." Meno looked back at Aster. "But...I'm worried that you'll think I'm heartless."

"It doesn't matter to me." Aster said shaking his head. "What matters is that Meno will always be the best sister I've ever had." Aster patted Meno on her head. "'Kay?" Aster asked, smiling.

"'Kay." Meno nodded. "It's...it's my parents."

"You're...you're parents?" Aster repeated slowly.

"Yes. They're the only people I don't regret killing." Meno clenched her fist. "I hate them."

"But Meno...why?" Aster asked. "Why would you-"

"They abandoned me!" Meno yelled, scaring Aster. "To me, they're not my parents." Meno's voice quietened, but still had a vicious edge to it. "They knew I was different, and rejected me as their daughter. The only clothes I got were a dirty old t-shirt and a bin bag for a diaper. I was always left on the floor, and whilst I cried for a bath or food, they would be watching television. I would only be cared for when they couldn't take my crying any longer, but sometimes, they didn't tend to my needs and left me outside. When I was a toddler, I wasn't even allowed the luxury of a crib. I had to sleep in a pet bed. I was hardly ever fed, so I ate from the cat bowl, but they made sure it was clean, so I wasn't even allowed food. I was always beaten whenever I soiled my "diaper", I was always hungry, and I was always left on the floor with no toys and no-one to love me. It was a real living hell. But then, my powers developed, so I killed my parents. And I'm glad."

_I've never seen Meno so angry before._ Aster thought.

"Papa was a much, much better father than my own!" Meno yelled. "For that I'm glad, but I can still never forgive my former parents!" Meno closed her eyes tightly. "Unforgivable! Unforgivable!" Meno shook her head with every word, until she opened her eyes, which were now shining with fury. "Parents are supposed to love and cherish their children, not neglect their child just because they're a little different! If even one of your parents neglected you, wouldn't you want them dead as well?" Meno's hands immediately went to her mouth with a gasp after realising what she just said. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Meno apologised, bowing each time. "I wasn't thinking when I said those things!"

_But Meno's still Meno, angry or not. _Aster thought, closing his eyes with a smile.

"If you want to get angry at me, I'll understand. After all, I must have insulted you in some way." Meno gasped when Aster placed a hand on her head again.

"Relax. I'm not angry at you." Meno looked up slowly at Aster. "But...what you said is true."

"_Parents are supposed to love and cherish their children, not neglect their child just because they're a little different!"_

"My mother tried to kill me because I was a phoenix warrior. When she failed, she ran away. I'm not denying the fact that I was angry with her for what she did. But...when I found Hannah, she gave me a message from her. That convinced me that, somewhere inside that shell..." Aster's hand touched his locket "The real Miranda, who loved me with all her heart, is still in there." Meno's eyes began to shine. "I understand why you are angry with your parents, and I don't blame you. But...when all this fighting is over, Miranda can live with me and dad and Magdala, and you can have the family life you deserve with us."

"Thank you..." Meno whispered, closing her eyes. Aster removed his hand from her head and held her hand.

"Come on. Let's go home. Everyone's waiting for us."

BEEP!

"!" Aster and Meno gasped as the lift doors opened. Two different scientists walked in, but stopped as soon as they saw the two children.

"What are you doing here?" One of the scientists demanded.

"Uh, is this the way to the bathroom?" Aster asked with a nervous smile.

"I'm calling security." The other scientist pulled a walkie-talkie out of the pocket of his white coat, but before he could do anything, it floated out of his hand.

"I'm afraid I can't allow that." Aster said, raising a hand in front of him. He clenched it into a fist, and the walkie-talkie was destroyed. The scientists could only stare at the remains, alarmed. "Come on, Meno." Aster ran past the scientists and into the lift. Meno pushed a button, and the doors immediately closed before the scientists could reach them.

"Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap, CRAP!" Aster yelled.

"This is bad, this is really bad!" Meno whispered, fiddling with her hands.

"Maybe it's not so bad. I destroyed that guy's radio. If we get out of here before they find another way of calling backup, then everything will be alright." The doors slid open as Aster finished talking, and they were met with five guards pointing their guns at them. "Or not."

"Hands up." A guard demanded. Aster and Meno immediately obeyed. "Hand the girl over, and we won't shoot."

"Oh, so that's how it's going to go." Aster said, smirking.

"And what's a duellist from the pro circuit doing here?" Another guard asked.

"I've got another one in a boat nearby here if you wanna meet him." Meno gasped.

_Zane's here?_ Meno thought.

"Surrender the girl, or we'll shoot."

"Well..." Aster grabbed Meno's waist and jumped over the surprised heads of the guards. As he landed, both Aster and Meno began to run down the corridor. "You'll just have to shoot, won't you?"

"Don't just stand there! After them!" The five guards immediately began to run after them, and several of them fired a round of bullets at them.

"I was being sarcastic!" Aster yelled over his shoulder. He grabbed Meno's arm and turned around another corner, away from the bullets.

"Hey, Meno. Now would be a great time for you to tell me where the exit is."

"Well...it's...um..." Meno stuttered, thinking quickly.

"I'll settle for a hiding place?"

"In here." Meno opened the nearest door and they ran inside, slamming the door behind them. Aster twisted the lock on the handle and jammed a chair underneath it.

"Even though this never works in the movies, I'm pretty sure it'll work now. I locked the door and everything."

"Don't touch anything Aster." Meno said. Meno indicated the room they were in. There was a metal box stretching across the wall, decorated with different types of buttons, along with three black leather chairs in front of each of them. "This is one of the main control rooms."

"What, they don't have just one?" Aster muttered. Suddenly, there was a loud banging on the door.

"Open up! We know you're in there!" The door handle twisted, making the chair shake, but the door didn't budge. Meno clung to Aster.

"Don't worry, Meno. I'm not going to let them touch one hair on your head."

CRASH!

The door was flung straight off its hinges and straight onto the floor. A guard ran in and grabbed Meno's wrist.

"Get away from her!" Aster grabbed his arm, but he punched him across the face, which sent him flying, and Aster landed with his back on the control panel. Immediately, a red light flashed in the room and loud sirens went off. Meno and the guard stopped struggling and stared at Aster.

"Uh oh. Did I do something wrong?" Aster asked, looking behind him at the control panel.

"Of course you did, you idiot!" The guard grabbed the front of Aster's shirt. "Do you have any idea what you've just done?"

"No I don't! And you were the one who punched me in the first place, so it's your fault!" Aster yelled back at him.

"Aster, you just pressed the button that release all the Kishido's from their cells." Meno whispered. "Now we're all going to-" A pink energy field whooshed past her head and made contact the guards own head, blowing it to smithereens. Several drops of blood landed on Aster's face, who shoved the guard away from him straight away.

"Die." A voice finished behind him. Aster spun around, and a three year old Kishido girl with the trademark blue hair was standing behind him.

"No way." Aster peered around the doorway, and his eyes widened. All he could see along the corridor were girls of different ages; all with blue hair of different lengths and wearing the experiment uniform.

"A human." They said at the same time. "A human is here." Their bodies glowed pink. "We must take revenge." Many pink arms shot towards Aster, but Meno stepped in front of him and created a pink energy shield, protecting them from the attack.

"We have to run, Aster. URGH!" Meno clutched her head.

"What's wrong?" Aster asked.

"It's nothing. Let's go. Run!" Aster and Meno ran down the corridor, away from the Kishido's. "The exit should be this way." Meno turned right, but there were another group of Kishido's blocking their way. "On second thought, it's this way." Meno ignored the turning and carried on running, Aster following closely behind.

"Why was that button even there?" Aster exclaimed. "Why do they have it? It's more useless than a helicopter ejector seat!"

"Those don't exist, Aster."

"You know what I mean. AH!" Aster skidded to a stop. More Kishido's were walking around the corner, and they all turned their heads towards the two siblings. "Oh, no." Aster looked all around them, and they were surrounded by Kishido's on all sides.

"Uh..." Meno's hands went to her head again.

"Come on, Meno. This isn't the time to be getting headaches."

"No... Stay out of this, Voice... It's nothing to do with you..." Meno hissed.

"Meno?"

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" Meno screamed.

...

"Ah...ah...AH-TCHOO!" Hassleberry sneezed loudly. He rubbed his nose with the back of his hand and stared out the window of the control decks.

"It sounds like you have a cold from the storm." Daisy said.

"Nah, I'm sure some chick is talking about me." Hassleberry sniffed.

"That's unlikely." Daisy muttered.

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch that."

"Oh, it's nothing important." Daisy said quickly.

"Daisy, how long are we just going to sit here in the middle of the ocean?" Jaden asked, walking into the room. "For all we know, Aster could be getting butchered in there trying to rescue Meno."

"He'll be fine, Jay. He's got powers after all."

"But Zane's here." Hassleberry said.

"Yes. He's here, not on the island, so its fine." Daisy countered.

"Oh, come on. Aren't you even a little worried?" Hassleberry asked.

"Yeah." Hiruko said, bursting into the room.

"Of course I'm worried. But I'll just have to leave everything up to him. He told us to wait, so that's what we're going to do."

BOOM!

"What the..." Hiruko started.

"It's that light we saw!" Hassleberry yelled, spotting a beam of pink light shoot out from the building. After several seconds, it began to crack and crumble. "It's gonna collapse!"

"Forget what I just said. We are going there right now!" Daisy pulled a lever, and the boat shot forward.

"WAH!" Everyone, minus Daisy, fell over onto the floor.

"This isn't a speedboat, Daisy." Hiruko snapped, sitting up.

"It doesn't matter right now. I just want Aster to be okay." Daisy said almost frantically.

"What's going on?" Zane yelled, bursting into the room.

"That's what I want to know!" Jaden yelled back. There was another loud boom, which made the boat rock so much, it almost overturned.

"We're almost there. Just hang on, guys!" Daisy pulled several levers and the boat slowed down as they reached the island. No sooner did the boat reach land, the entire building collapsed into rubble.

"ASTER!" Daisy pulled one final lever, dashed out of the room and jumped over the railing of the boat onto the earth.

"Aster! Aster! Where are you? Aster!" Daisy yelled, running around piles of debris.

"Daisy, calm down." Syrus said, climbing down the ladder.

"How can I calm down?" Daisy snapped. "A building has collapsed, and Aster could be seriously hurt! Urgh!" Daisy pushed a boulder over and began to dig through the rubble. "That moron's probably taking a nap somewhere in here...Using pebbles as a mattress...and a giant rock as a pillow!"

"Actually, that's me you're talking about." Jaden corrected, grabbing the railing of the boat and jumping over it. "Come on, guys! Aster and Meno are in this rubble somewhere, so it's our job to dig them out!"

"You slave driver!" Hassleberry yelled, as he and everyone else got off the boat.

"Who put you in charge?" Daisy asked, folding her arms across her chest.

"As Aster's best friend, I'm pretty sure he'd have me as second in command if something were to happen to him."

"Best friend?" Daisy exclaimed, their faces so close together, their foreheads were touching. "I'm his girlfriend!"

"Since when are women put in charge?" Jaden demanded, pushing against her forehead.

"You sexist bastard!"

"U...um..." Haru started, ready to interfere.

"Haru..." Hassleberry placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's best not to interfere when Daisy's involved."

"And you two! Shut up and get digging!" Daisy yelled, shoving Jaden to the ground.

"Yes ma'am." They both said quickly, and quickly dug into the nearest pile of rubble.

"HYA!" Syrus shoved a metal pole between two rocks firmly. No sooner had he done that, he jumped up and began jumping up and down on it.

"Move...you...stupid...rock..." Syrus grunted with each jump. Suddenly, on the next bounce, the pole flew out, making Syrus land on the ground and the pole to whirl straight through the sky, until it landed in the ground right in front of Hiruko's feet.

"Hey, watch it!" Hiruko shouted.

"Sorry!" Syrus shouted back. "Ow." Syrus stood up slowly, rubbing his back. His eyes widened. "Guys! I can sense Meno again!"

"What? Where?" Zane asked, immediately rushing to his younger brother's side.

"She's...she's over there." Syrus pointed to his left.

"Right!" Zane began to climb up the rubble hills.

"Hey, hey! What do you think you're doing?" Jaden asked.

"It's dangerous." Haru protested.

"I don't care." Zane finally reached the top of the rubble. "You keep looking for Aster. I'll find Meno myself." Zane slid down the other side of the hill until he reached solid ground.

"Geez. That jerk." Hiruko muttered, his hands on his hips.

"Don't think I can't hear you, because I can!"

"!" Hiruko flinched.

...

"What morons!" Zane shook his head. "Meno! Meno, you here!" Zane yelled, walking carefully through the debris. "Hey, Meno!"

_Damn..._Zane thought. _It's like searching for a needle in a haystack._ Suddenly, a hand burst out through a pile of rubble just next to Zane.

_That hand..._ Zane looked closely at the hand. It had a pink cuff around the wrist from a cardigan. His eyes widened.

"Meno!" Zane ran straight up the small pile and dug through the plaster and metal. "Hang on, Meno! I've almost..." Zane stopped when he felt his hand grab a collar. "Got you." Zane pulled up and Meno emerged from the hole, coughing and spluttering and covered in dust. "Are you alright?"

"Y-yes, I'm alright." Meno said, sitting up on her knees. She gasped and looked up. "Zane!"

"Thank goodness." Zane sighed with relief.

"No!" Meno attempted to stand up, but as soon as she stood up, she winced in pain and dropped onto her knees again.

"What's wrong?" Zane asked.

"I think I've twisted my ankle." Meno's hand went to her left ankle.

"Let me see..." Zane's hand reached out towards Meno' but she slapped it away.

"You mustn't." She said quietly. "I don't deserve your kindness. I'm a monster."

"No you're not!" Zane said defiantly, surprising Meno.

"But I am. I killed your father. You treated me with a kindness no-one had shown me in my life, and how do I repay you? I kill someone who is dear to you."

"Meno...is this what you've been doing for the past five years?"

"What do you mean?" Meno asked.

"Have you been blaming yourself for what happened?"

"No!" Meno cried. "Not really...yeah..." Meno sighed and hung her head.

"Heh..." Zane gave a small smirk. "That's strange. I've been blaming myself, too."

"Zane..." Meno whispered. "It's not your fault."

"Maybe...But maybe it is my fault. After all, I lied about my cousin being your dear friend. That's what caused you to kill my father. If I had only been honest, then we wouldn't be here today."

"Don't say that!" Meno protested. "It was my fault for giving in to my other side in the first place."

"HAHAHAHA!" Zane laughed. "Look at us! We're both trying to find ways to move the blame over!" Zane ruffled Meno's hair. "You're a good kid, Meno. You know that?"

"I…" Meno blushed. "I can't go back there. Everyone in the city will hate me. After what I did to them, I won't be surprised. But…it's not me doing it all, but I still look like her, so it's all the same. How can I go back to a world where no-one will accept me for who I really am?" Meno gasped when Zane suddenly hugged her.

"You idiot." Zane whispered. "You've got people who accept you right here."

"Oh, Zane…"

CLANG!

"Dammit!"

"What the…" Zane pulled away from Meno, but still had his arms around her.

"That hurt…" A bathtub right next to them lifted up, and Aster was underneath it, covered in dirt and massaging his head, but alive. "Eh?" He stared at the two of them in an embrace, and a long, awkward silence stretched out. "Er, I'm not interrupting something am I?" Meno's face immediately flooded red.

"N-n-no!" She stuttered, pushing Zane away from her with one arm. "I-I-It's not what it looks like! Honest!"

"Hey, hey, I'm kidding." Aster pushed the bathtub away from him and stood up.

"Are you alright?" Zane asked.

"Yup." Aster gave Zane thumbs up, grinning. "How's Meno?"

"She's hurt her ankle, but she's fine."

"Well, that's good."

"What exactly happened here anyway?" Zane asked, looking around at the rubble.

"I'm not sure."

"I…I think my other side took control temporarily so that we wouldn't get killed." Meno said.

"Huh?" Aster exclaimed. "She destroyed an entire building with one blow! Was it really necessary?"

"But she came out on her own." Meno muttered. "She's never done that before."

"What did you say?" Zane asked.

"I-It's nothing. Let's go home." Meno said. "Oh, but…I can't walk."

"Climb on." Zane turned his back on Meno, who blinked in surprise.

"Aw, how kind of you, Zane. Did you do that with Syrus?" Aster asked playfully.

"Shut up!" Zane exclaimed, standing up with Meno on his back.

"I'm sorry about this."

"Don't sweat it, Meno. You're not that heavy."

"Hey, guys! Can you hear me?" Aster yelled. "It's me, Aster. We've got Meno!"

"Aster! Thank goodness you're okay!" Daisy yelled back. "You're not hurt, are you?"

"No, I'm fine. But Meno's hurt. Hang tight, and we'll be over in a second."

"Leave it to me. Haru, Hassleberry, get to it!"

"What?"

"Why us?"

"Just do it! Or I'll make you do it!"

"Alright, alright!"

"Geez! Um...you might want to stand back a little."

CRASH!

"Watch it!" Aster yelled, fanning away the dust with his hand.

"Sorry." Haru apologised sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "We did say stand back."

"Aster!" Daisy ran past Haru and wrapped her arms around Aster. "I'm so glad you're okay."

"I'm sorry about worrying you."

"Why couldn't you have climbed over it or something?" Hassleberry demanded.

"Well..." Aster discreetly pointed at Zane and Meno.

"Ah...right."

"I'm sorry if I worried any of you." Meno said quietly.

"Relax, Meno. You're our friend. Not only that, you have a family who worry about you." Daisy winked at Meno playfully. "So no more running off on your own, okay?"

"R-right." Meno nodded. Her eyes widened.

"Hm? What's wrong?" Daisy asked.

"LOOK OUT!" Meno cried, shooting a pink energy field from her hand to a rubble wall behind Hiruko.

"WAAAAAH!" Hiruko yelled. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Move!" Jaden yelled, pushing Hiruko out of the way, just as a pink energy beam shot out to where he previously stood.

"What the..." Hiruko started, eyes wide. In the rubble was a young Kishido girl, her body halfway in the rubble.

"Come on!" Jaden grabbed Hiruko's arm and ran to the others.

"What's going on?" Daisy asked.

"Well...while in the building...I kinda accidentally released...all the ...Kishido's." Aster said nervously, fiddling with his hands. "So... in other words..."

"!" The gang looked all around them. Surrounding them were many Kishido girls of various ages and hair lengths, either standing on rubble or the ground. They stared at the gang with malicious eyes.

"We're trapped." Aster finished.

"We. Are. So. Dead." Hassleberry muttered.

"Nobody move." Zane said in a hushed voice. "We don't want to provoke them into attacking us."

"They're provoked already." Aster hissed. "They blame humans for their suffering, so of course they'd want us dead."

"But we've got Meno. She's practically their queen, so we should be okay, right?" Hiruko whispered. Meno clung to Zane's coat.

"I don't think they will." She said. "Look in their eyes. They're so full of hate. If we do anything wrong, they'd attack us whether I'm here or not."

"Alright...Let's just move really slowly back to the boat, then we can get the heck outta here." Haru said. Everyone, minus Meno, began to back away slowly towards the boat, never breaking eye contact with the Kishido's. The Kishido's turned their heads as they moved away, ready to strike.

"We're almost there, guys." Aster said.

"Look at how they're staring at us. It's just creepy!" Syrus muttered. After taking another step back, the back of Syrus' foot hit a pile of rubble, and several large stones crumbled down it. "Uh oh."

"Ah!" Meno gasped as one of the stones hit her on the shoulder. The Kishido's all turned their heads to Meno.

"The queen is hurt!" A five year old Kishido yelled.

"The queen is hurt!" They all shouted at the same time. "Kill the humans!" They raised their right arms up, and shot pink energy fields at them.

"Run!" Daisy yelled.

"You don't have to tell me twice!" Jaden exclaimed, running back towards the boat with Hiruko, several energy fields whooshing past them.

"Stay with me, Syrus!" Zane grabbed Syrus' hand.

"Right!"

"Bad idea, Haru! Very bad!" Daisy yelled, running to the boat with everyone else.

"Oh, come on! How was I supposed to know that-whoa!" Haru jumped to his right, just as an energy field whooshed past him. "Wasn't going to work?" Haru finished.

"Drive, drive, drive!" Hassleberry shouted, climbing onto the boat.

"I'm trying, but it's not letting me!" Aster yelled through the window of the controls.

"What?" Zane gasped, getting onto the boat, Meno still on his back.

_That's weird._ Hiruko thought. _They've stopped firing at us._ He quickly shook his head.

"Come on, Aster!" Hiruko yelled. "If we don't get moving, they're gonna kill us!"

"I told you, it's refusing to move!"

"Don't tell me..." Meno turned her head towards the Kishido's. They all had their hands raised. "They're preventing us from moving!"

"You shall not leave!" They said in unison.

"Hey, no fair!" Daisy whined. "They've got telekinesis!" Haru's eyes widened.

_Telekinesis?_ He thought._ If that's what they're using, then maybe..._

"Zane, take Meno downstairs." Haru said firmly. "And stay there until we give you the okay"

"But..." Zane started.

"Just go!" Haru snapped. "If you don't, then you're going to die!"

"You-"

"Please stop!" Meno cried. "Just do what he says Zane. He's got a plan, so we've got to trust him."

"Alright." Zane said reluctantly. "Syrus, come on."

"Okay." Syrus nodded.

"Telling me what to do...that he-she." Zane grumbled, taking the stairs downstairs.

"I am NOT a he-she!" Haru yelled angrily. "Jerk... Aster. Tell me where the problem is."

"It's er... it's in the engine. Take the second door and follow the stairs."

"Right. Jaden, make sure those girls don't attack us. If they do, stop them."

"But how am I supposed to do that?" Haru opened the door to the engine and faced Jaden.

"Zane's downstairs isn't he?" He asked. Jaden's eyes widened, before he smirked.

"Oh, I get it."

"I'm so stupid! Why didn't I think of it before?" Aster exclaimed, bursting out of the door from the control room. "Haru, you are a genius!"

"Can I go now?" Haru asked, looking nervously down the stairs towards the engine.

"Yeah, sure. Do whatever you need to do."

…

"Wow." Haru muttered. "This thing's a lot bigger than I thought it would be." Before Haru was a large metal engine that went from floor to ceiling. It had some pipes sticking out of it that were attached to the walls, and it constantly made a humming noise. Haru placed a hand on the body of it.

_It looks like the main area is fine, but I'm picking up something on those pipes. _Haru thought. He looked up at one of them. It was glowing a faint pink. Haru reached out to touch it, but as soon as he did, he withdrew his hand straightaway with a yelp. _It's hot…which means that the Kishido's are using their powers on this. However…_ Haru raised his hand up again, but made sure that it wasn't touching the pipe. _I also have a telekinetic ability. _ He hesitated. _Wait... I can't counter it. If I do, this whole boat might sink. Should I risk it?_

"Hurry up, Haru!" Hiruko yelled from outside, pounding on the door.

"Alright!" Haru yelled angrily. He turned his attention back to the engine. "Right…" Before he could do anything, he heard a rattling sound. "Eh?" The rattling sound got louder, and a screw began to come loose. As soon as it rattled on the floor, a jet of steam shot out. "Damn it!" Haru covered it up with his hand. "HOT!" He jerked his hand away immediately. Haru could only watch as several screws loosened and more steam shot out.

"Hold on. They're not using telekinesis to stop the boat; they're using it to destroy it from the inside!" Haru ran to the door and pounded on it. "Aster! Get over here! They're going to destroy the-"

"They're destroying the engine?"

"GAH!" Haru spun around to see Aster right behind him. "Don't do that!"

"That's not important. We've got to figure out how to stop this thing from exploding!"

"But how?"

"I don't know!" Aster slammed a fist on the metal. Aster looked at the engine and banged on it again.

"Pounding it isn't going to do anything you know."

"I know. But I felt something." Aster knocked on the metal twice. "Something like…earth."

"Earth?" Haru banged on the engine. "Hey, you're right. I feel something in there."

"You do?" Aster asked.

"Metal comes from the earth, so there are traces of it left in this metal." Haru placed a hand on the engine as he explained. "If we can use that earth to seal the holes, then we can get away from here."

"Right!" Aster nodded. "Let's get on with it, it feels like a sauna in here." Aster ducked just as another screw came loose and shot out where his head would have been. "And fast. Where's the first one?"

"It's right…here!" Haru covered a hole with his hand, and took his hand away from it straight away. "OW!" Haru clutched his burnt hand. "It's too hot."

"Let me." Aster covered the hole with his hand, and when he removed it a few seconds later, the hole was welded shut.

"How did you do that?"

"Well, Hassleberry said I had Hannah's powers, so I figured that the power of fire would prevent things from burning me." Aster answered with a smile. He turned back around and began sealing the rest of the holes. "I did some practicing in my bedroom, but it was risky, seeing as they were based on theories I came up with. This is proof that my theories are correct."

"Wow. I had no idea you were this smart."

"Don't you ever look me up on the internet?" Aster asked, after finally sealing the rest of the holes. "I am a pro athlete with a high IQ, two PhD's and a photographic memory."

"But why can't you remember anything about your mother?" Haru asked.

"That's different." Aster muttered, sweat dropping. "Anyway I've fixed the engine, so we should be able to leave now." Aster snapped his fingers, and the engine rumbled. "It worked!" He said happily, walking past a dumbfounded Haru with a spring in his step.

"How does he do that?" Haru exclaimed to himself. Aster reached out to grab the door handle, but it opened before he could grab it, causing the door to slam straight into his face.

"Aster!" Zane yelled, bursting into the room.

"Just me." Haru said waving.

"Where is Aster?"

"Right here." Aster moaned, a hand on his face. "Ouch. It must be important if you almost broke my nose."

"Meno's gone."

"What?" Aster removed the hand from his face, wide eyed. "What do you mean she's gone? I thought she was with you!"

"She was, but she started acting really weird after getting these headaches, then she just stood up and vanished!"

"This is bad." Haru said.

"Oh, thanks for stating the blindingly obvious, Haru!" Zane yelled.

"Zane, calm down!" Aster yelled. "We have to-" A blast of pink energy whooshed behind him, stopping Aster from completing his sentence. "What the…" Aster peered around the door frame, but ducked as soon as another blast of energy whooshed over him. "They're attacking again."

"What?" Haru's head appeared above Aster's. "Is it Meno?"

"Aster!" Daisy ran up to Aster, holding green knives in her right hand. "Thank goodness you're here. Meno has…" She quickly hid the knives behind her back when she saw Zane leave the engine room. "Well, see for yourself." Daisy pointed up to the sky. More specifically, it was the sky that was above the ruins of the facility. There in the sky was a bright ball of pink energy, and beams of pink light shot out from all directions. In the centre of this ball was Meno, her arms outstretched and her eyes blank. On land, the Kishido's were all staring up at Meno.

"Get down from there, Meno!" Jaden yelled.

"You'll fall!" Hassleberry shouted.

"That's not helping, you know." Syrus muttered.

"Is this her other side?" Hiruko asked.

"I…" Jaden shielded his eyes. "I think it is. And she's gone berserk." Coco trembled on Jaden's shoulder, his thick tail hiding his eyes from the terrifying Meno.

"Mind filling me in on what's happening?" Aster asked, joining Jaden by his side, allowing Coco to happily jump on his shoulder.

"We have no idea what's going on." Jaden shrugged.

"Die!"

"Huh?" Hiruko blinked. "Did Meno say something?"

"This island has tormented many of my kind. All by the hands of humans." Meno said, her voice layered. She looked up sharply, fury in her blank eyes. "You cannot be forgiven!" The beam around her expanded gradually and passed through the Kishido's and rubble harmlessly until it filled the whole island.

"What's she doing?" Haru wondered out loud.

"If she's trying to kill us, then she must have lousy aim." Hassleberry answered. Aster's eyes widened.

"Everyone! Get down!"

"What? Why?" Hiruko asked. His question was answered when there was a loud rumbling noise, the waters around the island grew choppier and the land began to crack.

"You heard him!"

"Hit the floor!" Everyone on the boat ducked down onto the ground, just as there was a bright flash of pink light and a loud BOOM! That rocked the boat so much that it nearly overturned. The sky darkened and the clouds twisted into a spiral, the eye being the centre of Meno's beam. Vicious winds blew around the storm, and pink lightning flashed around the eye of it. The earth of the island crumbled apart into chunks, and the Kishido girls all fell into the water. Only Meno remained where she was, and the beam created a huge whirlpool that tossed around the remains of the island and the Kishido's.

"She's...she's destroyed the island!" Zane yelled over the storm.

"And we'll be caught up in it if we don't get out of here!" Aster stood up on one knee, but as soon as he did, the boat was hit by a large wave, tossing the entire gang to the other side of the ship as if they were ragdolls.

"Ouch!" Jaden's head hit the railing with a loud thump.

"Oof!" Daisy landed heavily on the ground. "Whoa!" Daisy and everyone else rolled across the boat once more as the storm got more and more vicious, and the boat was getting closer to the whirlpool.

"Aster, do something!" Syrus yelled.

"What?"

"I said do something!"

"I can't!"

"What?"

"I can't!" A wave bigger than the others crashed over the boat and created puddles on the boat, as well as splashing everybody.

"Well you better think of something fast!" Hassleberry shouted.

"There are two non-swimmers on board, you know!" Haru yelled, pointing at himself. The whirlpool started to get smaller and shallower. "And I certainly don't like the look of that."

"Aster, maybe its okay to use a little of your powers, as long as Zane doesn't see." Daisy said.

"But...what?" Aster asked. "There's no way I can do anything without Zane noticing."

"What? Don't you have, like, a future seeing power or something!"

"One: I haven't got it yet. Two: How is it going to be useful? Three..." Aster stopped talking when he noticed that the whirlpool had completely vanished, and instead, the water rose higher. He gasped. "Grab onto something!"

…

"Oh…Zane." Jesse blinked.

"Zane? You mean the duellist in the Pro League?" Selena asked, sitting next to him on a bench in front of the beach. She was dressed in her school uniform, and still wore the moon pendant around her neck.

"Yeah. He was a student at Duel Academy, but we haven't spoken to him recently. It was just a passing thought; nothing to worry about." Jesse said cheerfully.

"Really? But I thought he was visiting you." Jesse's smile froze.

"Excuse me?"

"I said that Zane was visiting Syrus." Jesse groaned and hung his head.

"We are so doomed. If he finds out about us…"

"Have faith in Aster." Selena said happily. "He'll find a way to keep our secrets."

"Yeah but… I heard that Meno disappeared, and that's going to cause some problems." Selena opened her mouth to respond, but before she could say something, she stared off into the distance.

"Hey, what's that?" Selena asked, pointing across to the horizon. Jesse looked up.

"Where?"

"Over there. It's in the middle of the ocean. Can you see it?"

"I think I can." Sure enough, in the distance, there was a small pillar of light, and a group of clouds were gathered around it. "What the heck is that?" He saw the clouds become even darker, and the water in the distance rose up. "Is that a tidal wave!"

"What?" Selena jumped up from the bench and immediately went to the railing beside the steps to the beach. "That's just not natural!"

"This is insane!" Jesse joined Selena by her side, also gawping at the approaching tidal wave. "Hang on a sec… there's a boat. There are people on there!"

"We have to help them!" Selena reached her necklace, but Jesse gently grabbed her wrist.

"We can't. Someone might see you."

"But what should we do?" Selena indicated the wave. "That wave is only a few miles away, and the city might drown if we don't do something!" As Selena finished speaking, the tidal wave abruptly stopped and sunk into the ocean again, but the boat was in midair, and it flew towards the beach.

"Get down!" Jesse dropped onto his knees, Selena following suit.

"!"

CRASH!

"Oh no!" Selena gasped, the boat now in ruins on the sand. "Are you alright?" Selena stood up and ran down the stone steps towards the destroyed boat.

"Selena!" Jesse protested. With a groan, she ran after her. "Is…is everyone alive?"

"I think I'm alive." Jesse's eyes widened.

"Aster, is that you?"

"Hang on a sec; let me get out of here." There were several shuffles among the piles of destroyed boat, until eventually, a large piece of metal lifted up, and Aster was unharmed underneath it. "Oh, sorry, was I interrupting a date?"

"Aster, this isn't funny." Jesse said sternly. "You could have been killed, what were you thinking?"

"Well, we're alive, aren't we? Besides…" Aster pushed the metal off of him and climbed out of the hole. "It wasn't me, it was Meno."

"Meno? Does this mean she's back?" Selena asked.

"Well, we did rescue her…" Jaden crawled out from underneath the rubble. "…but she went berserk and destroyed the island we rescued her from."

"She's crazy!" Hassleberry exclaimed, punching himself out of the rubble.

"She's not crazy." Haru protested, standing up beside Hassleberry. "She's just…um… got Multiple Personality Disorder…I think."

"It's a Kishido thing, Haru." Daisy scrambled out of the same hole Aster emerged from. "And that's Aster's sister you're talking about."

"So she's still missing, huh?" Jesse muttered.

"BLEUGH!" Hiruko gasped, bursting out from the rubble and startling everyone. "I'th got thand in ma mouf!" He exclaimed, spitting out sand and scraping it off his tongue.

"But I'm so glad everyone's okay." Selena sighed, relieved.

"Hang on a second…" Jaden twisted his head left and right, and lifting up various pieces of metal and searching under them.

"What's wrong?" Aster asked. Jaden turned to face Aster, on the verge of panic.

"Syrus and Zane. They're gone!"

…

"What the…" Syrus' eyes opened, as did Zane's. They were no longer kneeling on the boat; instead, they were kneeling on solid ground, and it was raining. The brothers looked around their surroundings, and Zane kept a protective arm around Syrus. "This isn't Aster's boat. Where are we?" Zane diverted his gaze towards a building, and his eyes narrowed.

"A memory." He answered.

"A memory?" Syrus repeated. Zane nodded.

"This memory is what binds me to Meno. See that shop?" Zane pointed ahead of him. There was a small shop with televisions, mp3 players and other gadgets in the window. "That's where we first met. I saw her again the next day in that same spot; that was the day our father died. But now…" As Zane spoke, the illusion gradually crumbled away, revealing an empty street with no rain, and the shop had wooden windows and doors, the paint was peeling from the front and there was graffiti sprayed on the wood. "…that memory has been destroyed." Meno stood in front of the shop, her back to Syrus and Zane. Meno looked down at the ground, her eyes shining sadly. Zane walked away from Syrus and stood by Meno's side. She looked up at him briefly, and then turned back to gaze at the shop. There was a long silence.

_Should I do something?_ Syrus thought. _This should be a private moment between the two of them, but Meno's my friend, too. I guess, for now…all I can do is watch._

"You are our Meno now, right?" Zane asked. Meno nodded. "I see…how long until she takes control again?"

"I don't know." Meno answered quietly. "It could be at any moment. She's never done this before, so it could be when we least expect it."

"Oh…"

"You know, I…" Meno hesitated, clutching the sleeve of her cardigan. "Ever since that day, I came back here every afternoon, waiting for you. That is, until I got taken to the facility. I don't know why I did it. I thought that…that you would never forgive me. I knew you would be angry with me, but I couldn't help it. I kept coming back here again and again, waiting for you. I suppose… that part of me thought that you still cared for a monster like me."

"You're not a monster." Zane said defiantly, but with a gentle tone to his voice. "You're Meno."

"You have to understand. I was born to kill others." Meno touched the flaking paint of the shop. "Memories die. People die. Plants die. Animals die. Eventually, I will die as well. For me, this memory died a long time ago. I used to be able to remember things like where a dog would bark, and even which flowers were where, but now, when I create that illusion, I can barely remember it. My memory of you was dead." Meno turned to face Zane. "Zane, what I did was utterly unforgivable. Even if your memories of me aren't dead yet, please, for our sake, destroy them." Meno smiled with tear-filled eyes. "That way…we can both move on with our lives." Meno turned around. "Goodbye, Zane." Meno began to walk away.

"DON'T GO!" Syrus suddenly ran up to Meno and hugged her from behind. Meno gasped.

"Syrus, what are you doing?" Meno cried. "I killed your father."

"I don't know!" Syrus yelled. "There's no way…there's no way that me and Zane can forgive what you did to our dad. We can never bring him back. But I…and Zane, too… we don't want to lose the Meno we care about. We don't want to lose you!" At this point, Aster ran round a corner but, seeing the brothers and Meno, decided to shrink back around it and watch. His friends all followed, and he outstretched an arm, preventing them from moving any further.

"Tell me, Meno. Do you want to leave us behind?" Syrus asked. "Do you want to forget about Aster and everyone else as if we never existed?"

"No…" Meno shook her head. "I don't want to forget."

"Then stay. You and your other side. Whatever that girl throws at us, we'll be able to survive and move on. I miss my dad, and I will never stop, but Meno…I'm okay. And Zane's okay too because we have you. Do you understand? We don't care that you're part evil; we still love you."

"Syrus…" Meno tightly closed her eyes. "Zane…" Meno held Syrus' hand and turned around, never letting go of it. "I never, ever wanted to leave you. I just felt like I had to because I was afraid I'd kill you. You were the first people to accept me as a person rather than an evil killer." Meno glanced away for a moment. "Besides, I…I…" Meno was interrupted when the wind picked up. "Eh?" Meno looked up and gasped. "Oh no!" Above them were ten helicopters, and as five of them lowered, the buzzing and rotating of the propellers was so deafening, everyone had to cover their ears.

"Come on!" Aster yelled, and ran towards Meno, Syrus and Zane.

"What are you waiting for?" Daisy shouted, following him.

"Get a move on!" Jesse yelled, also running towards Meno, holding Selena's hand. Eventually, Jaden, Hiruko, Hassleberry and Haru followed suit. The five helicopters landed, and several men wearing helmets with plastic visors and dark blue overalls plus bulletproof vests jumped out and stood in a half circle around the gang, pointing their guns at them.

"Jesse…" Selena clung to Jesse's shirt, and he placed a reassuring arm around her shoulders.

"Surrender number thirty seven. She is the perpetrator of the destruction of the Kishido Research Facility and the death of countless human beings. If you refuse to cooperate, you will all be placed under arrest."

"We will never hand her over to you." Zane snapped, standing in a protective stance in front of Meno.

"Zane…" Meno started.

"I'm not going to let an arrest scare me." Zane whispered to her. He turned back to the guards. "If you want to arrest Meno, then you'll have to get through me first." A few of the guards hesitated, lowering their guns slightly.

"Zane, what do you think you're doing?" Aster hissed. "They really will kill you."

"Aster, take the others and get out of here. I'll protect Meno."

"But…"

"Just go."

"…" Aster hesitated, but he nodded. "Guys, come on. We just have to leave things up to Zane." As soon as they took several steps forward, a guard fired a shot in front of Hiruko's foot.

"Hey, watch it!" He yelled.

"That was a warning shot." The guard said. "Another step and the next one will be in your heart." Hiruko grimaced and jumped behind Jaden.

"On second thought, it looks like we're sticking around." Aster glanced at Zane.

Zane...He thought. Don't do anything stupid.

"Mr Truesdale, do you understand what you're dealing with?" A guard demanded.

"Yes. I know exactly what I'm dealing with." Meno peered around Meno at the guards, and she immediately clutched Zane's coat. "But, the girl you want is my friend, and I'm never handing her over to you." Zane glared at the guards. "Got a problem with that?" He asked, challenging them.

"Look..." A guard lowered his gun. "This girl has killed thousands of innocent humans over the past five years. Do you honestly think we're just going to shrug them off and say "oh, well"?"

"But that's what they said at the facility!"

"Huh?" Zane looked over his shoulder. "Aster?"

"I can understand why you can't ignore a person dying, but for Kishido's?" Aster shook his head. "No. I shouldn't call them that. They are human beings just like us, but their powers are just an excuse to pass our time for "research". You're killing monsters to save mankind? Don't make me laugh. Those experiments are torture! Hundreds of little girls were tortured by your so-called research, and some of them even died! You say we can't shrug off the deaths of humans, but for these girls, you do just that! One word; hypocrite!" Aster's fist clenched. "To me, you're the monsters."

"How dare you?" A guard yelled, holding a handgun up at Aster, but another guard lowered the gun before he could fire.

"You idiot, you can't shoot him." He hissed. "He's a pro."

_Aster...Zane..._ Meno thought.

"Ah!" Meno gasped, a hand going to her head.

"Meno." Zane turned around to face Meno. He got down to eye level with her. "Are you alright?"

"I...I'm fine..." Meno smiled at him weakly. "It's just a headache. Ah!" Both of Meno's hands clutched her head and she dropped onto her knees.

"Meno!" Zane grabbed Meno's shoulders.

"H...Hey. Are you alright?" Aster reached a hand towards her.

"Stay back!" Meno cried.

"Huh?"

"We're not going to leave you!" Zane said. Meno looked up at him with pleading eyes. Zane's eyes widened. Her shine in her eyes kept appearing and disappearing.

"Please... get away from me!" Meno screamed. A pink arm materialised behind her, and it swatted Zane away from her and into Aster, who collapsed into the gang and caused them all to fall onto the ground. Just as this was happening, there was a huge burst of pink light, and the upper halves of all the guards were gone. All those who were further away from Meno were lucky enough to have their chests left, but the rest had only their legs, and the bodies collapsed all over the pavement in a pool of blood, while the rest left alive could only watch, horrified.

"Wh...Wha..." Zane stammered.

"What the hell?" Hiruko finished.

"KYAAAAAAAAAAHH!" Selena screamed, clinging onto Jesse.

"Haru!" Hassleberry caught Haru just as he collapsed.

"Damn you..." Meno muttered, standing up with a slight stagger. "Damn you..." She turned around to face Zane and the others. She looked up, and her eyes were blank. "Damn you!" She yelled. Meno became surrounded by a pink fire made from pure energy. Tendrils shot out into the sky, and they passed through the helicopters in the sky, destroying them with great explosions while the remains showered the streets. Other tendrils shot through the buildings and across the city, and some also passed over the heroes, who could do nothing but duck down.

"Stay down Hiruko!" Jaden yelled over the roar over the great power, his arm wrapped around Hiruko, who had his hands on his head.

"You don't have to tell me twice!" Hiruko yelled back. Jesse wrapped his arms around Selena in a protective hug, who clung to him, and Hassleberry did likewise to Haru.

"Aster!" Daisy shouted. "Watch out!" Daisy pulled Aster back to the group, just as a tendril swooped over his head. Aster sat up slightly and stared at Meno.

"This is insane..." Aster muttered, shaking his head.

"Syrus!" Zane yelled, grabbing Syrus' arm. "Stay close!"

"Right!" Syrus nodded. "But what about Meno? What do we do?"

"I..." Zane looked down. "I don't know..." He said helplessly.

"A lot of people are going to die!" Meno shouted her hair blowing in wind that her powers created. She grinned triumphantly. "This world...is mine!" The fire got even bigger, and more tendrils flew out, reaching across the city, crashing through buildings, and passing through the sky. "Before I hand this world over to those pathetic humans...I will kill them all!"

"Stop!" Zane yelled. "Stop it already! You'll destroy the city!"

"Shut up!" Meno snapped. A group of tendrils rose up into the sky, and shot down to the ground. "Everything has come down to this! Everything!" Zane's eyes widened as he realised that the tendrils were heading towards him. "It's all your fault!" Zane closed his eyes tightly and clutched his little brother. Suddenly, a transparent pink barrier encased the gang, and the tendrils bounced straight off them. Zane opened one eye.

"Eh?" He opened both of his eyes and loosened his grip on Syrus.

"Dammit! Don't interfere!" Meno hissed. In one instant, the pink fire stopped roaring, buildings stopped collapsing, and everyone within the force field stopped moving. A transparent Meno appeared inside the barrier, the shine in her eyes returned. She smiled.

"Meno. You're okay." Zane said, beaming.

"No..." Meno shook her head, her voice sounding echoed_. _"I am Meno, but I'm just the illusion of my consciousness. My consciousness is working to protect you, so that my attacks don't hurt you. But, I can only protect this small spot."

"Illusions?" Zane repeated.

"Yes..." Meno nodded. "Only those who have had a direct link to me can see me. To everyone else, I am invisible."

"Huh? Meno?" Aster looked up. "How come everyone's not moving? Hey! Jaden! Over here! Snap out of it!"

"They can't see her, Aster." Zane said.

"What?" Aster gasped, sitting up onto his knees. "Okay, I'm confused."

"What in carnation?" Hassleberry exclaimed. "There's two Meno's!"

"Like I said, only those who have a link with me can see the illusion." Meno looked down. "But...there's a reason why I am here. There's a way you can stop me from destroying the city and killing humans all over the planet." Meno looked at Syrus. "Syrus?"

"Uh... yeah?" Syrus said, pulling himself away from Zane.

"Do you remember the favour?"

"Wh...What favour?" Syrus asked. Meno smiled sadly.

"If I can't control myself...If people carry on dying." Syrus' eyes widened as he remembered.

"_I want you to kill me."_

**OH NO! What's Syrus gonna do? Will he kill Meno? Will mankind be wiped out? AH! THE TENSION'S KILLING ME! Ah, don't worry guys, I'm not REALLY going to kill Meno off...or am I? HAHAHA! You'll just have to find out next time, where it will be a lot sooner than the previous chapter! (But come on! I'm in my final year of my friggin' A levels, plus I'm eighteen on the 10****th**** of December! Cut me some slack!)**


	27. Chapter 27: And Then There Were Three

**Well, it seems I'm rather lacking in reviews. Guess I'd better amp up the story a little! I mean, I've already got several plot twists in mind, like the arc when Aster tries to get his memory back! Believe me, it's gonna be pretty awesome. But anyway, in the Meno arc, Syrus has been given a difficult favour to fulfil. Will he do it?**

Chapter 27

And Then There Were Three

"I want you to kill me." Meno finished. Syrus, Zane, Aster and Hassleberry stared up at the ghostly Meno, shocked.

"You can't be serious…" Syrus muttered. "I can't do that. I won't!"

"There has to be another way. It can't end like this!" Aster almost shouted.

"But what can you do?" Meno asked. Aster opened his mouth to answer, but only noiseless words came out. He closed it and looked away sadly.

"No man, er, and woman, gets left behind!" Hassleberry yelled. "Truesdale, don't do it!"

"They're right, Meno. I'm not going to let you throw your life away. We've only just begun getting our lives back on track." Zane protested. Meno placed a hand on the side of his face, surprising him.

"Zane, please." Meno said quietly. "This is my wish for Syrus to fulfil. I appreciate what you're trying to do but I can't see any other way to save this world. If Syrus does this, then the world will be safe enough for you all to start again."

"But not without you!" Zane cried, his voice starting to crack. Meno looked away.

"I'm sorry." Meno moved away from Zane.

"You know I'm not going to let you die." Aster said.

"But as long as I am alive..." Meno indicated the other Meno, who was frozen in time. "...then I will carry on destroying this world, and a lot of lives will be lost. It has to be done."

"..." Syrus gritted his teeth.

"Syrus...I'm so sorry I'm asking you to do this, but we have no choice. All that my conscience can do is interfere with my body's powers. I can't even kill myself, so it has to be you." She knelt down to eye level with Syrus. "Syrus...please...kill me."

"I..." Syrus started, looking away briefly. "I don't want to. There are so many things I wanted to do with you. I can't just end it all." Syrus rubbed his eyes with his arm. "It's not easy for me to do this."

"I know...and I'm sorry." Syrus' eyes widened. Meno's body was starting to disappear.

"You're fading!"

"Oh…" Meno looked at her disappearing hand. "I guess I am." She looked at Syrus again and smiled. "Those men stopped me from saying something. Here it is." Meno leaned forward and whispered in Syrus' ear. After several seconds, she stood up and backed away, her feet vanishing. "Now, Syrus, please…before my consciousness disappears...kill me." Everything began to move again. Meno's attack continued, the explosions carried on, and buildings collapsed on the ground. However, the barrier remained around the gang. Meno's consciousness vanished.

"Meno!" Syrus yelled.

"Syrus…my consciousness is disappearing. I won't be able to deflect attacks anymore." As she said this, several pink tendrils broke through the barrier.

"WAH!" Daisy ducked further onto the ground, narrowly avoiding a tendril.

"Hurry…you have to kill me."

"No, I can't." Syrus muttered, his eyes shining. "I can't!" He shouted, shaking his head furiously.

"Please!" Syrus hesitated, but he picked up a handgun lying next to a dead guard, stood up and aimed it at Meno.

"What? Who the hell do you think you're aiming at?" Meno yelled.

"Syrus, what are you doing?" Jaden shouted. "Drop the gun!"

"I'm sorry." Syrus said.

"_Thank you, Syrus. You really are a good friend."_

"_My own deck! Can I try it out on you, Syrus? Can I? Can I?"_

"_Those men stopped me from saying something. Here it is... Syrus…"_

"I'm sorry." He said again, closing his eyes, His hands began to shake as his finger tightened on the trigger.

"…_I love you."_

_Clank!_

"!" Meno's eyes widened. The gun clattered on the ground and Syrus dropped onto his knees.

"I can't shoot you." Syrus shook his head. "I just can't."

"Syrus! What are you doing?" The barrier disappeared, and everyone was surrounded by pink tendrils and pink fire made from pure energy. "At this rate, everyone will die! Sy…rus…kill…me! I…can't…de…flect…any…more!" Syrus winced as a tendril scratched him across the cheek.

_Meno…_ Syrus thought. He picked up the gun and stared at it. Another hand reached over and helped him aim. Syrus looked over his shoulder. It was Zane.

"Zane…"

"Meno's my friend, too. Let me help you." Zane took Syrus' other hand and made them hold the gun, his own hands covering Syrus' small ones. "This way, we're both responsible."

"Hey, quit hogging." Aster knelt down beside them and also held the gun. Syrus stared up at him, surprised. "What? This is Meno's wish, and as her adoptive brother, it's my duty to do this." Aster smiled. "I guess…we're sharing the burden."

"But…Meno's you're sister. Aren't you sad?" Syrus asked.

"Of course I'm sad." Aster wiped his eyes with his hand. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Syrus, we're not going to let you do this alone." Zane said firmly.

"Aw, hell with it." Hassleberry gently laid Haru on the ground, dashed towards the three of them and gripped the gun. "Your aim's all wrong. You've gotta aim it a little to the right."

"Hassleberry? How's Meno linked to you?" Aster asked bluntly.

"Well, err, actually it's my pop, but still!"

"See, Syrus?" Zane said. "Now we're all going to do it. It's the last thing we want to do, but, if it's what Meno wants, then we have to kill her." Syrus looked back at the rest of the gang, who were still huddled up against each other to avoid the pink attacks. Syrus turned back to a raging Meno, then to the gun in their hands. He began to tighten his grip on the trigger.

"I'M SORRY!" Syrus screamed, tears in his eyes.

BLAM!

"Ugh!" Meno hunched over slightly as the bullet entered through her heart. In that instant, all the pink attacks stopped moving, and quickly sped up into Meno's body. Everyone looked up at Meno, confused.

"What's going on?" Zane asked. "Is she… Is she dead?" Finally, all the energy was back in Meno's body, and she began to fall to the ground. Suddenly, her entire body glowed pink, until she was completely covered in the light, and it filled up the entire area.

"AH!" Everybody, minus Haru, covered their eyes. The pink body separated from Meno in the exact shape of her, and stood up straight, while the other Meno continued to fall. The bullet that was shot at Meno emerged out of her body and dissolved into ashes. The wound closed up and Meno fell onto the ground, unconscious. The glowing pink figure looked down at Meno, and then turned towards the gang.

"What is that thing?" Hiruko asked.

"I don't know." Jaden answered. The glowing began to fade away. The feet became visible first, then the legs, then the waist and chest, and finally, the head.

"No way!" Aster gasped, letting go of the gun.

"Eh?" Jaden raised an eyebrow. The person opened their eyes. Before them was…

"Another Meno?" Hiruko exclaimed. Sure enough, there was another Meno standing over the unconscious one, but her eyes were blank and lifeless.

"Pinch me I'm dreaming." Jesse muttered, never letting go of his hold on Selena.

"Who are you?" Zane asked. She said nothing, and nudged the unconscious Meno with her foot. "Answer me!"

"What do you want?" She asked harshly.

"Tell us who you are!" Zane demanded.

"You already know." She said simply. "I am Meno's other side, but she calls me Voice. I usually serve as her conscience, but I've been given a body as a result of you shooting me." She looked at her hand. "It feels…amazing." She clenched it into a fist. "Such strength. I feel powerful. So powerful..." Voice outstretched her arms so her hands pointed at the sky. "I feel as though I can kill the entire world if I want to!" She finished triumphantly.

_You almost did._ Hassleberry thought, sweat dropping.

"Now, I don't have to inhabit Meno's body anymore. To me, she is nothing." Voice grabbed the front of Meno's shirt and lifted her off the ground and above her head. "Now, I am so strong that she is just a worthless pawn."

"Let her down!" Aster yelled.

"Huh? You want her?" Voice shrugged. "Fine. She's all yours." Voice violently threw Meno over towards the gang, and Zane ran in front of her and caught Meno before she had a chance to hit the ground. The impact of the throw knocked Zane off his feet and onto the ground with the rest of the gang.

"Wait, what?" Jaden looked from Meno to Voice, then Voice to Meno, and then Meno to Voice again. "So, there's two Meno's?" He asked, looking between the two of them again. Voice rolled her eyes.

"Yes, there are." She sighed. "I always knew you were the stupid one."

"Hey! Don't call me stupid!" Jaden yelled. "I'll have you know I saved the world twice in two years!"

"God, you're annoying!" Voice exclaimed. "Right, you're first."

"Huh? AH!" An invisible force knocked Jaden off the ground and straight into a lamppost.

"Bro!" Hiruko yelled.

"Hm?" Voice looked at Hiruko. "Who the heck are you?" She asked rudely.

"Get away from Hiruko!" Jaden snapped, standing up quickly.

"Or what?" Voice challenged.

"Or I'll..." Jaden reached for the gun at his belt. Aster looked up at Jaden and stared at him with a fierce look in his eyes. Jaden saw this, and clenched his hand into a fist before letting it drop by his side.

_Damn..._Jaden thought. _With Zane here, we can't do anything to stop her._

"Well? Are you going to do anything?" Voice asked with a mocking tone to her voice. Jaden said nothing, and only glared at her. "I guess it's okay then." Voice disappeared in a flash of pink light.

"What? Where'd she go?" Daisy asked, twisting her head in different directions.

"Ah!" Hiruko gasped as Voice appeared in front of him. Before anyone could react, Voice grabbed Hiruko's throat with one hand and lifted him effortlessly off the ground. She stayed as still as a statue, even when Hiruko was trying to kick at her and gripping her arm.

"Incredible." She said. "I can lift this little pipsqueak with one hand. I wonder...can I crush his throat with one hand, too?"

"Please let go of him!" Selena pushed Jesse away from her, stood up and clung onto Voice's arm. "Let him down, he hasn't done anything to you!" Voice glared at her.

"You're annoying." She hissed. Voice clenched her free hand into a fist. "Move!" Voice punched Selena across her face with such force that she was whisked off her feet.

"Selena!" Jesse ran forward straight away and caught her. "Are you alright?"

"I...I'm fine." Syrus, meanwhile, remained kneeling on the ground as the rest of the gang tried to save Hiruko from Voice. Aster tried pushing her over, but she remained where she was and pushed him back. Hassleberry punched her towards the head, but she ducked her head, the punch hitting thin air and making Hassleberry fall over. Voice smirked at Hassleberry.

_What's going on?_ Syrus thought. _Why are there two Meno's?_ Syrus looked from Meno in a shocked Zane's arms to Voice, then back again. _What should I do?_ Syrus stared at the gun he still held in his hands. _What should I do?_

"You're squirming will only quicken your death." Voice said coldly. She tightened her hold on his throat, making Hiruko choke as he struggled for air. "Don't worry, I'll make you're death as painless as possible."

"You're not killing anyone!"

"Hm?" Voice looked over her shoulder at Syrus. He was now on his feet, and the gun was pointing directly at Voice.

"Let Hiruko go." Syrus demanded. Voice raised an eyebrow.

"Is that an order or a threat?" She asked. "Because you know that you're in no position to do anything like that in my presence."

"It's both! Now let Hiruko go, or I'll shoot!" Syrus snapped. Voice said nothing.

"As you wish." Voice let go of Hiruko's throat, and he dropped onto the ground, coughing and gasping for breath. Jaden immediately went to his side.

"Is he alright?" Aster asked quietly.

"Yeah." Jaden nodded. "Thanks for that warning earlier."

"Personally, I thought you would never pick it up."

"Are you kidding?" Jaden smirked a little. "You had a look that said "I'll freeze you in a block of ice if you use that gun."." Aster smirked back at him.

_Syrus... _Aster turned back to Syrus. _What are you up to?_ Voice sighed and placed a hand on her hip whilst the other hand twirled some blue hair around her fingers.

"You know that's not going to reach me, right?"

"Yeah, I know." Syrus said.

"Then...why are you pointing it at me?" Voice asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Because I want to protect my friends." Voice threw back her head and laughed a demonic laugh, unsettling most members of the gang.

"Oh, if I had a dollar for every time I heard that word, I'd be richer than Meno's so called brother!"

"At least I have more than you'll ever have. A scumbag like you would never understand." Voice stopped laughing immediately.

"What did you just call me?" She asked fiercely, narrowing her eyes.

"I said..." Syrus smiled at Voice. "Scumbag."

"Whoa..." Hassleberry's jaw dropped.

"Syrus is bold." Jesse said in disbelief.

"How dare you mock me!" Voice roared. A pink arm materialised out of her back, and it grabbed Syrus' leg, which forced him to drop the gun, and threw him into a shop window.

"Sy!" Jaden yelled.

"Hey, are you alright?" Aster shouted. Syrus' answer was a ninja star whooshing out of the hole. Voice waved her hand to the right, knocking it off its original path towards her head, and it landed in the ground just inches from Hassleberry and Haru.

"Whoa, that was close." Hassleberry sighed, relieved

"Lucky me!" Syrus climbed onto the windowsill of the broken window. "I got knocked into a weapons shop! Good thing they're legal here."

"So, human...are you challenging me?" Syrus held up a handful of ninja stars between his fingers.

"I guess I am. If you're going to kill my friends, then somebody has to stop you, right?"

"Don't do this, Syrus. You don't-" Aster placed a hand on Zane's shoulder, stopping him from finishing his sentence.

"Let him do this. I believe in him. You should believe in him too."

"Yeah, but... but this isn't a playground bully he's dealing with. This girl can kill him in one blow."

"Have some faith in him." Aster looked over his shoulder at his friends. "Hiruko, Selena. Go back to the flat and get my fa- I mean James." Aster quickly corrected himself. "Tell him everything that has happened. Maybe he can make heads or tails of this."

"Should we tell him Zane is with us?" Hiruko asked.

"Good point. Zane, can you go with them?"

"Forget it. I'm staying here."

"Okay, I understand." He turned back to Selena and Hiruko. "You got that?" Selena and Hiruko nodded. "Right. Go. Hurry!" Selena and Hiruko stood up and ran off around the corner. Aster stood up.

"Right, everyone. Syrus is facing off against Meno or Voice or whatever her name is. We've got to be prepared to interfere. If it looks like she's going to kill him, stop her by any means necessary."

"Right." Everyone nodded.

"Here's what we'll do. Jaden, Jesse. You protect Syrus if he's in any danger."

"Got it!" They both saluted at Aster, who rolled his eyes. Jaden and Jesse stood up and looked at Syrus, prepared to step in.

" Hassleberry, look after Haru until he wakes up."

"Roger!" Hassleberry nodded. His grip on Haru tightened a little more.

"Zane, you're going to protect Meno. Guard her with your life. You got that?" Zane looked down at Meno, who was still across his lap.

"R-Right." Zane finally said, a little stunned.

"Daisy, you help Zane."

"On it." Daisy stood in front of Zane. She placed a hand on her bag, but remembering that Zane was here, settled to bringing her fists up.

"What about you?" Hassleberry asked. Aster looked at Voice, who still had a smile on her face.

"I'll stop the other Meno if she's gone too far."

_Aster, when did you become like this?_ Zane thought. _When did you have the face of a leader?_ He looked around at the rest of the gang, who were ready to interfere_. Not only that, but everyone is following Aster's orders without a second thought. I've never felt such a connection in a group than I do now._ His attention went back to his little brother. _Syrus, you better not get yourself hurt._

"Huh. You have more courage than I thought." Voice shrugged. "At this point, the humans would either run away screaming or I'd kill them myself." She narrowed her eyes at Syrus, who still clutched the ninja stars in his hand. "You should count yourself lucky that you are still alive."

_I was thinking that myself._ Syrus glanced at the weapons in his hand. _It will take more than these star things to stop her. She can just deflect them. I've got to find something that can hit her directly but without getting too close to her. But…_ Syrus glanced around at his surroundings. _There's nothing else here I can use as a weapon. There isn't even a bin lid I can use as a shield. And as soon as I leave this ledge, the other Meno will do everything in her power to stop me from going back in this shop for more. But with my brother here, I can't use my sword._ Syrus' fist clenched. _I've got to make the most of it._

"Hurry up and make your move!" Voice exclaimed, impatient. "If you don't then I'll decapitate you."

_Right!_ Syrus looked up, determination in his eyes. _Here I go_! Without hesitating, Syrus threw the five ninja stars at Voice.

"!" Her eyes widened. But, she still smiled. "You think these things can stop me?" The revolving stars glowed pink, and the speed at which they span was getting slower and slower until they stopped completely just in front of her face. The stars clattered to the ground around her feet and shattered into small bits of metal. "Too predictable." Voice looked up, and she gasped. "Wait, where did you go?" Voice looked left and right to find Syrus, but the blue haired Truesdale was nowhere to be seen. "Playing hide and seek, are we?" Voice asked. No answer. "Ha! Fine! In that case, ready or not, here I come!"

"What the hell is he playing at?" Jesse almost shouted. "This isn't a game."

"It's a tactic." Aster said.

"A tic-tac?" Jaden cocked his head to the side, confused.

"No, Jay. A tactic." Jaden still wore the confused expression on his face. Aster sighed. "A strategy?"

"Ooooooohhhhhh!" Jaden said.

"Don't give me that "I-knew-that-all-along!" face!" Aster yelled. "Anyway, Syrus knows he can't get too close to her, so he's attacking from a distance and staying hidden to find a blind spot."

"Ooooooohhhhhh!" It was Hassleberry's turn to finally understand. "OW!" Hassleberry was suddenly slapped behind his head.

"Why are you wearing the same stupid expression as Jaden? And please let go of me."

"Haru!" Jaden said happily.

"Yeah, I'm back." Haru pushed himself away from Hassleberry and sat up on the ground. "Before you ask Hassleberry, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Hassleberry asked.

"Yup." He turned around to face Hassleberry. "I'm a little dizzy, but other than that, I'm great!"

_You've got an all too happy look on your face._ Jesse thought, sweat dropping mentally.

"Okay, so can you tell me what the heck is going on?"

"Well…" Aster indicated the unconscious Meno in Zane's arms. "And…" Aster then pointed at Voice, who was wandering around the street, looking left and right for Syrus.

"Huh?" Haru's face went blank. He looked at Meno, then at Voice, then Meno, and then Voice again.

"That was my reaction, too!" Jaden grinned. "Guess I'm not the only one who doesn't believe it."

"Th…there's…" Haru stuttered, pointing at Meno and Voice repeatedly.

"If you want an explanation, then Meno told Syrus to kill her after she went berserk, and he did shoot her, but it caused them to split into two. The one walking around is the evil one, and the one with Zaney is our Meno."

"It's Zane, Phoenix!"

"I…I guess it makes sense." Haru muttered, still wearing the blank expression.

"I don't blame ya for being confused, Haru." Hassleberry said while patting Haru's shoulder.

"Well, at least I now know what's going on." Haru sighed. "My head hurts."

"Where is he?" Zane muttered to himself, scanning the buildings with his eyes for a sign that Syrus is there. A yellow jacket, a flash of blue hair, anything to show Zane that he was okay and figuring out a fighting tactic. "Come on, Sy." Meanwhile, Syrus was hiding in the shadows of another shop, staring out of the large shop window.

_It's a good thing these shops all have a back exit; otherwise I wouldn't have been able to move like this._ He gasped and shrunk back into the shadows when he heard Voice approaching.

"Where are you, Truesdale?" Voice yelled. She walked past Syrus' window again, and Syrus didn't even realise he was holding his breath until he sighed in relief.

_I'm not sure if these weapons will do anything to harm her._ He held a nunchuk up to his face, one end dangling from the small chain. _I don't even know how to use some of them._ Syrus peered out the window. _Maybe if I try and distract her, I can sneak an attack at her when she least expects it._ Syrus' hand went to his belt, and was met with the sound of metal upon metal. _I've got several more stars, some of those knives, a pair of nunchuks, those fork things that I think are called sai's, several metres of elastic, some rope, wooden arm things and a single edged sword._ Syrus was silent for a minute. He then sweat dropped.

"Note to self: look up ninja weapon names." He muttered. He held up the nunchuks again. "Why the heck have I got these, anyway?"

"Syrus!" Syrus grimaced.

"Shoot! Gotta move!" Syrus dashed to the back of the dark shop, grabbing a brown sack full of items along the way.

...

"Syrus! Where are you?" Voice yelled. "You know waiting will only make your death more painful!"

"This is ridiculous." Daisy said, dumbfounded. "It's been ten minutes already and nothing's happened."

"I for one am amazed nobody else has come to see what's going on." Haru agreed. "I mean, just look at the state of this city. It's a mess!"

"Yeah. Let's just count our lucky stars that these stores are either out of business or closed." Aster looked up at the sky. "Why they haven't sent reinforcements, I'm not sure."

"Err...because they value their lives?" Jaden suggested. "Nah, that's not it. Because Voice is dangerous? Yeah!" Jaden slammed his fist into his palm. "That totally makes sense!"

"In case you haven't noticed, we're surrounded by bifurcated corpses." Jesse muttered.

"What's bifurcated mean?" Jaden asked innocently. Jesse sighed and closed his eyes.

"Never mind."

"But still..." Aster started, looking at the ground.

_Why haven't they sent backup?_ Aster thought. _Are they just leaving the people here to their fate of dying by this psychopath's hands? These soldiers may not value their lives, but they don't value the lives of others either. _Aster's fist clenched. _Damn those corrupted bastards. I outta fly over there and... _Aster gasped when he saw his manacle start to glow. _Crap! I forgot!_

"Don't you dare!" Aster yelled, slapping his manacle to stop the glowing.

"Aster?"

"Ah!" Aster looked over his shoulder at the gang. Everyone was staring at him like he had just gone insane.

"Um..." Aster started. "Err..." Aster discreetly rolled his sleeve over the manacle and pointed at it feebly. "Bug?"

"Oh! Gotcha!" Daisy winked at Aster, smiling.

_Phew!_ Aster sighed, relieved. _That was close._

_You idiot! You almost gave us away!_ Daisy thought, silently seething inside.

"Syrus Truesdale, I order you to stop hiding!" Voice shouted at the top of her lungs.

"Or what?"

"?" Voice glared over her shoulder. Syrus was standing in the middle of the street, his arms folded and a smug smile on his face. "Oh, so there you are." Voice smiled. "Couldn't stand the fear, eh?"

"Nah, it's not that. I just wanna give you one last chance. Take back your threat and leave us alone, and I won't have to humiliate you."

"And if I refuse?" Voice asked.

"Exactly what I said. You will be utterly humiliated and I'll turn you over to the police, where justice shall come to you."

"Heh. You know that's never going to happen." Silence. Syrus unfolded his arms and reached behind him.

"I see. In that case..." Syrus glared at Voice. "Prepare to be defeated." Without a moment's hesitation, Syrus dashed to his right and threw more ninja stars at Voice.

"How many times do I have to tell you? That won't work!" Voice cracked a whip made of pure energy towards the spinning stars and the stars turned to dust on contact. "Running away again, I see. What a cowardly way to fight."

_Snap!_

"Huh?" Voice looked over her shoulder. "Ah!" She ducked down just in time for several knives to shoot through the air.

"You're wide open!" Voice smirked after hearing Syrus' voice.

"Over there!" Her left arm swept in an arc behind her, creating as blade of pink energy that sped through the air. It sliced through a tree as well as the middle section of…

"A mannequin?" Sure enough, a store dummy collapsed on the ground, making the head roll onto the floor. "Damn you! Stop fighting dirty!"

"Ha-ha!" Jesse snapped his fingers. "Nice one!"

"Somebody tell me who this guy is and what he's done to Syrus." Hassleberry said.

"He's in the same dorm as you, you know." Jaden pointed out.

"Yeah." Daisy folded her arms and nodded. "I mean, he did beat you in that one duel."

"That was a fluke and you know it! Besides, Truesdale was practically falling asleep on his feet that time!" Hassleberry exclaimed.

_Snap!_

"There!" Voice swatted three kunai's out of the way, where they wedged into the ground. "That's never going to work, boy!"

_Snap!_

"What?" Voice gasped. She gasped in pain as two kunai's stabbed into her back.

"He got her!" Jesse yelled, beaming.

"Sweetness!" Jaden exclaimed, clenching a fist.

"Ugh...damn you." Voice glowed pink and the knives shot out of her and onto the ground with loud clatters. "Come out and face me like a man."

_I knew it..._ Syrus peeked around the corner of another shop at Voice. _She can't block simultaneous attacks that she isn't expecting. I've found a blind spot!_ Syrus glanced at the katana in his right hand. _Now, if I can just use that to my advantage, then I can win this._ He looked back at Voice. _I've got to act fast; her wounds heal after a few minutes, so in the next blow, I have to seriously injure her enough so that she can't move. _With that, Syrus ran around the corner to make his next move.

"Oh, I get what you're doing." Voice proclaimed loudly. "You're trying to find my weakness, right? Ha! How admirable, if not foolish! I've murdered so many humans I've lost track! Do you honestly think you'll be any different?"

"You're too arrogant for your own good."

"Huh?"

_Snap! Snap! Snap! Snap!_

"What on..." Voice looked around her. "Where are they coming from now? Over there?" Voice shot an energy beam at a clothing store. "No? How about here?" She shot another energy beam at a bike shop, destroying it with another explosion.

"Uwah, she's gonna destroy the entire boulevard!" Jaden exclaimed.

"Damn you..." Voice muttered. "Damn you, Truesdale, you tricked me!"

_Snap!_

"There it is!" Voice spun around behind her into a fighting stance, her right fist glowing pink. "Ah!" She gasped when a pair of nunchuks and two wooden tonfas hit her behind her head. "Damn. He tricked me again!"

"You're open!"

"What are you-" Voice never finished her sentence, as Syrus had stabbed her through the stomach with his katana.

"Whoa..." Daisy said, open-mouthed. "Shorty actually got her."

"Hassleberry, you can take your hand off my eyes now."

"I don't want you fainting again."

"He did it." Zane said.

_No..._ Aster thought. _It seems too easy to be real_. Meanwhile, Voice was frozen in shock, while Syrus remained behind Voice, still clutching the katana.

"I...don't believe it..." Voice whispered, blood trickling out of the side of her mouth. "After all these years...somebody...has finally...landed a blow on me."

"Really?" Syrus asked, his expression remaining focused. "Then I'm honoured."

"But..." Voice's hand reached up to the metal blade of the katana and she held onto it weakly.

"Eh?" Voice smiled.

"You will never live to tell the tale!" Voice spun around and kicked Syrus across his face. The katana slid out of Voice's body, making more blood come gushing out of Voice, and Syrus skidded across the ground, still clutching the sword.

"I'm not going to give up my reputation over trash like you." Voice staggered, clutching her wound. She grinned manically. "I shall become the god of this world!"

"Don't get cocky." Syrus muttered, staggering onto his feet and holding the katana up towards Voice. "I can still fight." Suddenly, half of the blade slid off the top and onto the ground. "Huh?" Syrus sweat dropped. "When did that-" His eyes widened. "Wait. It was when you grabbed it, wasn't it?"

"That's right, Syrus. Now you're defenceless."

"Tch." Syrus threw the hilt of his katana onto the ground and clenched his fists into a fighting stance.

"What? You still want to fight? Even though you've lost your weapons?"

"Don't count me out yet." Syrus said, a determined smile on his face. "I've got a few more tricks up my sleeve." Syrus threw his arms out to his sides, and out his sleeves slid three ninja stars into each hand. He crossed his arms in front of him, clutching the stars between his fingers.

"You're an unusual one, you know that?" Voice said. She smiled a vicious smile. "This will make your death more enjoyable." Voice looked at her blood stained hand. "Hmph. This regeneration is taking a long time to start." She shrugged. "Oh well. I can kill you with one blow either way. Oh, how about I try and kill Zane instead?" Syrus narrowed his eyes.

"Don't touch my brother!" Syrus yelled, throwing the stars at Voice.

"Too easy!" The stars glowed pink, but the glow disappeared, as it was replaced with a blue glow. "What? Ah!" Voice ducked down as the stars whooshed over her head, slicing off a few blue hairs from her head.

"H...huh?" Syrus said, dumbfounded.

_What happened?_ Voice thought. _Those stars had a weird feeling about them. If I hadn't ducked, then I would be dead. And that glow...It's so similar to mine, yet so different._ She moved her stare to Syrus, who had a very confused expression on his face. _Just what is he?_

"That was weird..." Syrus said, looking at his hand. "That wasn't even a powerful throw."

"So I guess you're not going to pull something like that again?" Voice asked. "Lucky me!" Voice created a pink sword made of energy in her hand.

_I've got no choice. I have to use it!_ Syrus thought, reaching for the hilt of his broad sword.

"Too slow!" Voice was in front of Syrus before he even had a chance to blink. She thrust the tip of her sword into the blue orb of Syrus' hilt, destroying it in a shower of glass.

"Crud!" Syrus stared down at his hilt. "It's useless now!"

"Where do you think you're looking?" Voice yelled, preparing for another strike. Syrus ducked onto the ground, narrowly avoiding the sword as it aimed for his head. However, Voice kicked him in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him and sending him flying into the wall with such force, there was a huge dust cloud as it crumbled from the sheer strength of the kick.

"Syrus!" Zane yelled. Voice turned around to face Zane, who tightened his grip on Meno. Voice teleported away from the debris of the wall and was in front of Zane before anyone could react.

"Ever the dedicated elder brother I see." Voice said.

"Get away from him!" Aster stood beside Daisy, ready to fight. Voice, however, calmly held up a hand in front them.

"You are not worthy." Voice said coldly.

_I…I can't move_. Daisy thought, her body shaking. _Is she paralysing me? No…it's not with magic. Is it…fear? So this is how she does it, huh?_

"Get out of my way!" A pulse drifted out of her hand, knocking both of them away from Voice, and crashing into Jaden and Jesse.

"Ouch!"

"Sorry!"

"I am terribly sorry about their rude behaviour." Voice apologised, turning her attention back to Zane, who was staring at Daisy and Aster. "Now, where were we? Oh, yes! I remember!" Voice outstretched a hand towards Zane. "I was going to kill you, and then…" Voice gave a menacing smile. "…I shall kill Meno."

_Looks like this is it… _Zane closed his eyes tightly and held onto Meno.

"You get away from my brother right now."

"What?" Voice gasped, looking over her shoulder. Syrus was standing with a slight stagger on his feet, covered in dust and grazes. However, there was a strange blue aura around him. "Wh…what is this power?"

"Didn't you hear me?" Syrus asked, his eye colour changing from grey to a light blue.

"What are you going to do about it, huh?" Voice asked. A pink energy field formed around her hand, and she pointed it at Zane. "Surrender now, or Zane gets it."

"I said…"

"?" Voice blinked in confusion.

"GET AWAY FROM HIM!"

BOOM!

…

"And then those guys were killed, and then she went crazy, and then Syrus shot her, and then she split into two people, and then she said that she was the evil one, and then Syrus pointed a gun at her again, and then they started to fight, and then Aster told us to come and get you, and then…and then…"

"Hiruko, calm down and put your seat belt back on." Selena grabbed the gasping Hiruko's shoulder and forcefully sat him down on the back seat. "Anyway, Syrus is fighting Meno's other side, and we don't know if he's okay."

"It's alright." James said, gripping onto the steering wheel of his car. "But…" James glared at the traffic in front of him. "I don't know if we can make it in time. Also, how's Aster? Is he alright?"

"Yes." Selena nodded.

"Meno crashed his boat on the beach, and he got caught in the middle of rubble when the facility was destroyed-"

"What?" James gasped, turning around to face Hiruko. "No wonder you're covered in dirt! Is he-"

"Mr Phoenix, please watch the road!" Selena cried, grabbing the steering wheel.

"Oh, right. Sorry, Selena."

"So, yeah, before all this happened, Aster went to rescue Meno, and then…well, you know. And we don't know if Syrus is okay."

BOOM!

"Whoa! What the heck was that?" Hiruko exclaimed.

"Is it an earthquake?" Selena asked.

"No…it's something else." James looked out of the front window. Amongst the many cars on the road, ahead of them, in the forest of skyscrapers, there was a tall column of blue light. "What is that?" James wondered out loud. "It looks like something a Kishido would produce, but…it's blue. Why?" James eyes widened. "Wait, don't tell me…"

"_Did you know that Kishido's are incapable of reproducing? Neither of the Kishido's we have researched have the capabilities of producing offspring. They pass the Kishido gene on to regular humans, but instead of humans producing a Kishido, it slowly but gradually turns them into a Kishido. Luckily, our scientists have developed a vaccine for this, but the effects weaken from one generation to the next, and soon they'll need a vaccine. But that doesn't change the fact that Kishido's have this ability."_

"Could it be…?" James said. "That someone is turning into a Kishido?"

"Turning into a Kishido?" Selena gasped.

"Is that even possible?" Hiruko asked, grabbing the shoulder of James' seat.

"Yes. Kishido's can transfer their DNA into other humans, and it turns them into a Kishido gradually. If they don't have a vaccination, then it's impossible to stop it."

"But who could possibly turn into that?" Selena asked.

"Wait. Hiruko, don't you remember what Haru said after I got attacked?"

"_I saw that the backpack had a clone of Aiko, and she can sense stone wielders, Kishido's and other guardians."_

"Yeah, I do remember. But what the heck does this have to do with…" Hiruko gasped. "Hold the phone. You don't think…"

"_It doesn't make sense. The only ones who should be on this thing are me, Aiko, Selena and Meno."_

"The fifth dot was in the same room as us. Think about it. Aiko and I were the only guardians in that room. Haru is, without a doubt, the last stone wielder. Meno was back in the apartment, so there was only the fifth dot. That means, it's must be a Kishido."

"But that's impossible. Hassleberry said it was a-"

"A glitch?" Selena finished. "Yes, I'm not surprised someone would think that. But, what if it wasn't a glitch? What if someone was a Kishido?"

"I see…" James said. "By powers of deduction, it can't have been Aster or Haru; Aster received the vaccination when he was young, and Haru wasn't even touched. It's impossible for you and Aiko to have been a Kishido. Besides, you two haven't been touched by Meno's arms. At least, I hope not." Selena shook her head, and so did Hiruko. "It's definitely not Jaden. He may have seen her other side, but he hasn't been attacked by her yet. But what about other times when Meno's other side came out? During that attack in the park, Meno touched some of us."

"Who?" Selena asked.

"Well, first it was Aster, and then Hassleberry. And…" James touched his shoulder. "She also touched me, and then Syrus was touched last. She could have done it then."

"But, Aster already has powers as well as a vaccination." Selena said. "So it can't be him, just like you said. You're right here, so you can't be creating that light."

"It can't be Hassleberry either; that headband I gave him protects him from anyone and anything getting inside him." James said.

"Wow, so he can't get colds? That's so cool!" Hiruko beamed. Selena and James sweat dropped.

"Anyway, what about the others?" Selena asked.

"Well, Jesse was attacked, but then he was healed by someone, so any traces of Kishido DNA will be gone."

"And Haru?" James asked. "What about him? He was there too."

"No. He's already got powers, so that makes him immune to it. Who else is there?" Selena held her chin in thought. "It's not me, it's not Hiruko, it's not James, It's not Jesse, it's not Aster, it's not Hassleberry, it's not Haru, it's not Jaden…who else is there who has been touched?"

"!" James, Hiruko and Selena gasped as they realised who it was.

"SYRUS!"

…

"GET AWAY FROM HIM!"

BOOM!

"AH!" The gang shielded themselves from the force of the explosion.

"Sy!" Zane yelled over the roaring of the wind.

"What's going on?" Jesse asked.

"I don't know!" Jaden answered.

"Hassleberry, I've got a bad feeling about that blue light!" Haru told Hassleberry, being sure that Zane couldn't hear them. "It feels like a Kishido's!"

"A what?" Hassleberry exclaimed.

"You mean…" Aster started. The blue light began to shrink around Syrus, until he was surrounded by the light, which now looked like fire. "Syrus is a…"

"A Kishido?" Voice gasped, taking a step back. "You've got to be kidding me."

"Syrus…" Zane said quietly. Syrus looked art his hand, surrounded by the blue light.

"I don't know how this happened, but…this power…now I can use this power to protect Zane and Meno and all my friends." Syrus looked back at Voice with his blue eyes. "Voice…be prepared for the worst."

"No way. This can't be happening!" Voice took several more steps back, trembling. She spotted Syrus' gun lying on the ground. Quickly, she picked it up and fired a gun shot at Syrus, but as soon as it hit the blue fire, it dissolved into ashes.

"!" Voice's eyes widened. Syrus didn't react to the gun shot, and started to walk towards Voice. "Stay away!" Voice fired more rounds of bullets at Syrus, but each time, they disappeared the same way as the previous bullet. "Damn!" Voice hissed. She pulled the trigger once again, but the gun just clicked. Frantic, Voice tried pulling the trigger again and again, but no more bullets came out. "I can't be empty!" She looked up at Syrus, who was only metres away from her. "This is…insane!"

"Aster!"

"Huh?" Aster looked to his left, and saw James, Hiruko and Selena running towards them. "Da-I mean, James! You made it!"

"Are you alright?" James asked quickly, placing both hands on his shoulders as soon as Aster stood up. "Did you get hurt in the crash? What about from the rubble? Any injuries?"

"I'm fine, James. If I was injured, then I've already regenerated. I'm covered in dust and dirt, but I'm okay." Aster outstretched his arms with a smile. "See?" James sighed in relief, and embraced Aster. "Eh?"

"Thank goodness."

"Yeah. Sorry I worried you."

"Um…I hate to break up the touching reunion, but Syrus is kinda going loco here." Hiruko said flatly, bringing Aster and James back to earth.

"Ahem." They both coughed, pulling away from each other.

"I know what's happening to Syrus, Aster. He was touched by Meno's powers, and anyone who has not received a vaccination against it turns into a Kishido after a while."

"What?" Aster gasped. "So Syrus is, like, one of them now? Wait… I was touched by her powers loads of times. Does that mean I-?"

"Don't worry. You and your friends are safe. I gave you the vaccination years ago."

"Phew!" Aster sighed. "Wait a sec, does that mean Syrus didn't get one?"

"Get one what?" Zane asked, overhearing.

"An immunisation against Kishido's." James answered. "Syrus hasn't received one, and as a result, he has become a Kishido."

"But…but that's impossible!" Zane protested. "Syrus is bound to have one! I mean, I know I had one, so why would Syrus-"

"No." James interrupted. "Not everyone receives a vaccination. And one of them is you and your brother, Zane."

"!" Zane's eyes widened.

"After that police officer gave me inside information on the Kishido's while Haru and the others were…out of town, I did some research. It turns out not everyone received the vaccination. The reason; some people had a natural immunity to it. This natural immunity is often passed down onto their offspring. Your parents were among the ones who were naturally immune to the virus, so the doctors deemed it unnecessary to provide you two with a vaccination."

"But, surely they could see a flaw in this. After all, traits from the parents aren't always passed onto the children, right?" Selena asked.

"Yes. That is the case here." James said.

"Then can't we revert him back?" Jaden asked. James shook his head.

"Sorry, but once someone becomes a Kishido, then there is nothing you can do to turn him back to normal."

"Damn…" Zane hissed. "Syrus! Stop this!" Syrus, at this point, was now in front of Voice, who could only look up at him in fear.

"You…you're not going to kill me, right?" Voice asked. Silence.

"No." Syrus said. "You are not even worth killing." Syrus' eyes narrowed. "Instead…I am going to punish you for hurting my friends." Syrus raised a hand until it was level with her chest. "Let this be a warning; never cross my path again." Suddenly, there was a huge explosion of blue fire underneath where Voice stood. Voice's screams couldn't even be heard in the roar of the fire.

"What in the…" Hiruko started.

"I'm not sure if I should be scared or amazed." Jesse said.

"How about both?" Hassleberry suggested. "Oh. Looks like its over." Sure enough, the blue fire around Voice disappeared, showing her lying on the ground, defeated. Afterwards, the fire around Syrus also disappeared. He blinked, and his eyes returned back to his grey colour.

"Eh?" He blinked again in confusion. He looked around him, then at the defeated Voice. "How did I get here? What's she doing on the ground? And why are you guys staring at me like that?"

_Syrus doesn't remember what happened?_ James thought_. But then again, it is natural. I have to be sure…_

"Syrus!" James yelled. "Do you feel as though there is someone else in your head?"

"Huh?" Syrus asked, cocking his head to the side. "You mean, like, a conscience, or like Meno's evil side?"

"The second one!"

"Um…" Syrus scratched his head. "Well, I remember being mad at Voice, and then I was here. There was no voice or anything.

_No voice? Could it be that Syrus does not have another side like all Kishido's do?_

"Yay, Syrus!" Jaden yelled happily, practically jumping onto Syrus to hook an arm around his neck. "You defeated the bad guy!"

"That's great and all, but could you ease off a bit? That kinda hurt." Syrus gasped. "Zane!" Syrus shrugged off Jaden's arm. "Zane, are you alright? She didn't hurt you did she?"

"…" Zane couldn't say anything, too shocked about what he just saw to speak.

"Zane?" Syrus said. Zane closed his eyes for a moment.

"No. I'm okay." His eyes opened and he smiled. "Meno and I…we're both okay."

"You've been protecting her this whole time?" Syrus asked. Zane nodded. "That's good."

"Haru, can you sense anything from Syrus?" Jesse asked quietly. "You can sense Kishido's, can't you? What do you sense?"

"I don't know. It felt like a Kishido earlier but now…I don't feel anything." Haru answered.

"It's the same for me." Selena said. "It was overwhelming before, but now, it's almost as if nothing happened."

"Nothing?" James gasped, eyes wide.

_I see…so he doesn't have another side like Meno. He seems to have developed the powers, but he doesn't have the evil self. Could it be because of the natural immunity? So…this is what a half-breed is?_

"So, Haru, does this mean you can sense other Kishido's too?" Hassleberry asked, excited.

"Yeah." Haru nodded.

"Really?" Zane asked. "You can sense them?"

"Gack!" Haru rubbed the back of his head nervously, smiling and refusing to look into Zane's eyes. "Well err, it's err, because I um…um…I…I…"

"He can see ghosts!" Jaden said quickly. Aster and James slapped their foreheads at the same time.

"He's never going to believe that." They muttered in unison.

"Really? So your family are exorcists?" Zane asked. "I thought they were just hoaxes."

"Yep. Not us, though. Heh heh."

_He actually believed it?_ James and Aster thought.

"What can you sense now then? Huh? Huh?" Jaden asked, getting excited.

"Well, um… there's Voice over there, and then there are two hundred others just on the beach several metres behind us." Haru said, looking confused.

"Cool!" Jaden exclaimed.

"You said it."

"Oh yeah."

"Totally cool." Silence.

"Wait what was the last part?" Daisy asked, eyes wide.

"There are two hundred Kishi…" Haru finally realised what he just said. "Uh oh."

"They survived the storm?" Aster gasped. "But… but the island was destroyed. I saw it with my own eyes!"

"We all saw it!" Hassleberry nodded.

"How could they survive?"

"I…I could be wrong." Haru said, trying to calm everyone down. Suddenly, there was a huge burst of pink light behind them. Everyone turned around, and saw a sphere of pink light in the distance. The screams of people on the beach could be heard from that much of a distance, and there were a variation of energy fields and beams being fired in the streets.

"Oh my…" Daisy said, but found herself unable to finish her sentence.

"This is terrible." Selena whispered.

"On second thought, maybe I wasn't wrong."

"The city's gonna get destroyed!" Hiruko yelled, his hands clutching his head. "WAAAAH! WHATDOWEDO WHATDOWEDO WHATDOWEDO WHATDOWEDO?" Hiruko ran in circles, yelling as loud as he could.

"Hiruko, stop running around like that!" Jaden caught Hiruko's hood as soon as he was within reach.

"Gack!" Hiruko choked.

"What are we supposed to do?" Aster said. "There's no way we can stop them."

"Aster…you know that we can." Daisy said quietly.

"What do you mean?"

"Stupid! I'm talking about you-know-what."

"No! There's no way we can fight them using our powers! If we do, then our cover is blown!"

"Aster…" James started. "I think it's time to give it up."

"Huh?"

"After all, Zane's just found out his brother is half Kishido. You think he'll be angry when he finds out we have powers too?" James asked.

"He's right." Jesse agreed.

"I mean, it was a big pain covering everything up." Hassleberry shrugged.

"If we keep up the act, then everyone is going to get hurt." Jaden said.

"Wait, I'm half Kishido?"

"What are you talking about?" Zane asked. "We have to get out of here!"

"Well, Aster?" Haru asked. "What are you going to do?"

"…" Aster glanced at the ground, thinking everything over. Everything was quiet, except for the explosions and screams at the harbour and beach. Eventually, Aster looked up again, and walked past Zane.

"Where are you going?" Zane asked. "What's with you guys all of a sudden?" He looked down at Meno. "Besides, what are we going to do about Meno?" Aster stopped walking, his back to Zane.

"I'm sorry, Zane." Aster said, closing his eyes.

"Wh…what?" Aster turned around to face Zane, and opened his eyes.

"We've been hiding something from you." As soon as he said this, Aster's manacle started to glow, and the glowing phoenix wings unfolded on Aster's back slowly, showing off their magnificence.

"What in the…?" Zane gasped. "Are those…?" Aster turned back around again and took off into the sky.

"Alright, listen up guys!" Aster yelled, hovering in the sky. "There are Kishido's attacking humans over by the docks, and it's our job to stop them! Make sure that they aren't killed, even if they want to kill you! Just stop them from moving of something! Selena, I want you to take any survivors to the other side of the city! James…" Aster thought over these words, then shrugged and continued. "Dad, go with her! You two are going to protect everyone in the city! I know you still have powers left, Dad, so make sure you use as much as you can! If not, then just whip out one of those weird weapons or whatever! Also, I want you to find Kai; we're going to need all the help we can get! Haru, Hassleberry, Jesse, you're going to make sure they don't even touch Zane and Meno! If I see one hair on their heads singed, then there's gonna be hell to pay! The rest of you, come with me and we'll stop the Kishido's! Alright? Everyone, move out!"

"Right!"

Selena clutched her necklace, and she was briefly surrounded by a blue glow before she was fully transformed. She took off into the sky and flew towards the city centre, James running after her.

"What the…Is she a fairy or something?" Zane stammered, eyes wide.

"Sorry about this Zane, but you'd better leave this to us." Jaden said, pulling out his laser gun with a smirk.

"So we can use our powers now?" Hiruko asked. "Wahoo!" Hiruko transformed his right arm into the signature diamond blade, grinning.

"About time!" Hassleberry exclaimed, tying his headband around his forehead.

"Hang on a sec, what's this about half Kishido's?" Syrus yelled. However, Jaden and Hiruko had already run past him. "Oh well." Syrus sighed. "I'll just ask later. You guys, wait up!" Syrus ran after Jaden and Hiruko towards the beach.

"Daisy!" Aster called.

"Got it!" Daisy pulled out two silver wings from her purple bag. The glowed, disappeared from her hand and a pair of white wings emerged from her back.

"Eh?" Zane exclaimed. "You too?" Daisy took off into the sky, leaving several white feathers in her wake.

"Ah, it feels good to be using my powers again." Daisy sighed, stretching her arms above her head when she arrived by Aster's side.

"Yeah, I think it's a relief too." Aster smiled. "Let's go, Daisy. We're going to protect Domino City!"

**Phew! Well, that's that! Syrus has just defeated a bad guy (finally!) and got new powers, and now the city's attacked! Not only that, but Zane's gonna demand an explanation! Man, this is getting good, but of course I'd say that; I'm the freakin' author! Anyway, luverly readers, thanks for readin'. And keep your eyes peeled for the next chapter! (By the way, did anyone notice the title of this chapter? Now that you've read the chapter, do you get why it's called that? Hee hee!)**


	28. Chapter 28: Resolve

**SPRING IS HERE! And you know what that means! Valentine's Day! Daffodils! Adorable lambs and chicks! And, best of all, CHOCOLATE EGGS! Sorry it took so long, but I've just finished our school's production of Animal Farm, so now my life isn't as hectic anymore. YAY! Anyway, this is my spring present to you lovely readers, who have supported me throughout the phoenix warrior series! ENJOY!**

Chapter 28

Resolve

"Let's go, Daisy. We're going to protect Domino City!"

_Is this real?_ Zane thought, watching as Daisy and Aster flew off towards the beach. _They've been hiding this the whole time?_

"A human!"

"What?" Zane was brought back to his senses when a young Kishido crashed through a wall, her hands glowing pink.

"Kill the humans!" She was interrupted when a whip made of light bound her hands together.

"Huh?" Zane looked behind him, and saw Jesse clinging onto the handle of his whip.

"Go for it, Haru!" Jesse yelled, tugging on the whip to tighten the hold.

"Right!" Haru grabbed a metal pole from the ground and threw it like a javelin. It landed in front of the Kishido, and as soon as it did, the bricks on the path rose around her, enveloping her in a dome made out of bricks. Jesse pulled his whip off of the girl's arms, just as the dome closed around the Kishido.

"Nice one, Haru." Jesse smirked.

"What in the… you've got powers too?" Zane asked, dumbfounded. "Even that tranny?"

"Oh for the love of… I am NOT a tranny! I'm a boy!" Haru yelled angrily.

"Oh, yeah. You better believe it; we're the best friends a helpless person like you has got!" Jesse proclaimed proudly, ignoring Haru.

"Anyway, I think she's unconscious now. I can't sense her anywhere in that wall. We should move off while we have the chance."

"Right." Jesse nodded.

"Look lively, soldier!" Hassleberry exclaimed.

"Wha…?" Zane blinked, still confused.

"What are you waiting for? Pick up Meno and come with us!"

"Y…yeah." Zane eventually answered, standing up with the still unconscious Meno in his arms.

_What the heck is going on here_? Zane thought.

…

"Whoa!" Aster exclaimed, surveying the scene before them. There were countless Kishido girls walking out of the ocean in groups. The ones who on land, however, were wreaking havoc in the harbour town. There were already several broken windows, and some houses and shops were missing a part of their walls. People were running away screaming, but some were within reach of the Kishido's and were killed.

"Oh my, this is turning into a mess." Jaden sighed, scratching his head.

"You said it, bro." Hiruko nodded, agreeing with him.

"Everyone, get out of here!" Daisy yelled, flying over the heads of the Kishido's and humans. "Move into the centre of town! You'll find other survivors there! Go now!" The humans immediately ran away down the streets and alleyways and out of sight, without even questioning why a girl was flying in the sky.

"What are we going to do about them later?" Syrus asked.

"Aster's gonna take care of it. Riiiiiight?" Jaden said, looking up at Aster with a big smile.

"Yeah, yeah. Anyway, forget them. We have to contain these girls!"

"On it!" Jaden clicked the dial on his gun. "Charge!" Jaden dashed towards the beach, his gun raised.

"What the… Jay, wait up." Aster shouted after him.

"A human!" A Kishido shouted, turning her head towards Jaden. All the other girls turned their heads in the same direction.

"Hey, ladies!" Jaden jumped down the wall onto the beach. "You want a piece of me?"

"You idiot." Aster sighed, flying down to the beach. His feet skidded in the sand as he landed, and the wings disappeared. The Kishido girls fired blasts of energy at Jaden, but he smiled. Jaden pulled the trigger on his gun, and a blue bubble like shield appeared around him. The energy beams bounced off the shield, and back towards the Kishido's, who ducked down or jumped out of the way to avoid them. "Wow, that actually worked?"

"Now, take this!" Jaden turned the dial once again on his gun, making the shield disappear. He aimed the gun at a Kishido and fired. A light purple light flashed from it and as soon as it hit the Kishido, she was knocked onto the ground, unconscious. "Now for the rest of you! Aster, little help here!"

"Already on it." Aster and Jaden charged through the girls together, Jaden firing his stun beams, and Aster using waves of sand and improvised hand-to-hand combat.

"Here comes Hiruko!" Hiruko shouted, knocking down the Kishido's with his arm blade as he ran.

"Geez, boys are so reckless." Daisy sighed, shaking her head. She unfurled some green marble like balls in her hand, dived down into the crowd of Kishido's and threw them into the ground. Instantly, green spheres appeared around the remaining girls who weren't already knocked down by Jaden, Aster and Hiruko. Daisy landed on the ground beside the boys, observing her handy work.

"There. That should hold them for a while." Daisy said triumphantly, he hands on her hips.

"Daisy, you amaze me sometimes." Aster said.

"Okay, how many was that?" Hiruko asked, his arm returning back to normal.

"Let's see…one, two, three…"

"Fifty." Aster answered, making Jaden fall onto the ground anime style.

"Haru said there were two hundred of them, didn't he? That means three quarters of them are already in town."

"Then we better hurry. Zane, Dad and the others are in there."

…

"Where the hell are they coming from?" Hassleberry exclaimed, right after he punched a Kishido behind the head.

"The ocean?" Jesse suggested.

"Well, duh!" Haru said sarcastically. "Heads up!" Haru jumped up and kicked a Kishido that was behind Jesse to the ground.

_There's too many of them._ Jesse thought. _Way too many._ Jesse looked around at the battle field. Everywhere, there were Kishido's, half destroyed buildings, and many people running and screaming, as well as variations of Kishido attacks. _It looks like I'll have to ask for help._

"Get behind here." Hassleberry ushered the others behind a dumpster, which they proceeded to peer around.

"Jesse, what are we going to do now?" Zane asked. "There's no way we can go through here unnoticed."

"Yeah, yeah, just…just gimme a minute, okay?" Jesse dashed off into an alleyway that wasn't too far off from where they were. Jesse looked left and right, and seeing nobody there, relaxed a little, but that didn't stop him from hiding in the shadows.

"Bandit…get over here." Jesse whispered. In a flash of red light, Alister appeared before him, bowing on one knee.

"What is your wish?" Alister asked.

"Well, first, stand up. You're a friend, not a servant."

"Oh, right. Sorry I keep forgetting." Alister apologised, half laughing.

"Secondly, the city is being attacked by Kishido's, and I need your help. You have to detain them, but don't kill them."

"Done and done."

"And thirdly…" Jesse raised an eyebrow with his hands on his hips. "I asked for Bandit, not for Alister."

"Huh?" Alister blinked, confused. "Oh!" Alister, finally understanding, was enveloped in a puff of black smoke, and after several seconds, he was dressed in his all black attire. "How about now?"

"That's better." Jesse smiled. "Don't get yourself killed. That's an order." Alister placed a hand over his heart.

"You have my word, Jesse. I shall follow your orders and protect you with all my power."

"Great! Just do that for the rest of my friends too, okay?"

"Jesse, it's me. Are you there?"

"Aster?" Jesse revealed his communication medallion and in the red orb was Aster's face. "You're okay. How's everyone else?"

"Oh yeah, we're fine. There were only about fifty of them, so there will be plenty more heading your way."

"Yeah I think we've pretty much figured that out."

"Oh, and one more thing..."

"I shall take my leave now." Alister said in a hushed voice, dashing out of the alleyway and jumping upon the roof of a building and out of sight.

"Whoa. Was that a ninja or something?" Zane asked, spotting Alister.

"Yup." Hassleberry nodded.

"I think he's Jesse's bodyguard. We don't know who he is. Well, maybe Jesse does, but I don't think he'd tell us."

"Speaking of which, where is he?" Hassleberry asked, looking around him.

"What?" Jesse's sudden yell made Haru, Hassleberry and Zane jump. Jesse dashed out of the alleyway, panicked.

"Okay, guys, change of plan. We're making a dash for it to the city centre."

"What? Why?" Haru asked. "The Kishido's can't be there already, can they?"

"They can teleport. Of course they'd be there."

"I just got in touch with Aster via the communication medallion. All one hundred and fifty of them are heading towards there. Hell, some of them are probably already there by now!"

"Is the sarge alright?"

"Yeah. He was reckless, but he's fine. Aster and the others are heading there now. He'll get there faster because most of them can fly. Plus, Aster can teleport them there, too. But we have to get there now! Selena is in danger!"

"So now we've got to head there ourselves, right? Alright, that does it! Haru, teach me to teleport."

"Now isn't the time for lessons, Hassleberry, and I can only go a few metres anyway! We'll just have to head over there the old fashioned way!"

"Um…wha…I…" Zane stammered, trying to find the right words to say.

"Zane, we're heading to the city centre now, so get your running shoes in gear."

"But, Jesse, these aren't…"

"Urgh, you know what I mean. Get moving! And don't even think about dropping Meno."

"I've been holding her the entire time!"

"You know, maybe I should lend you a weapon or something."

"Forget that, we've gotta move!" Haru snapped. Just as he was about to run out of the hiding place, he staggered. With a gasp, Haru began to fall.

"Haru!" Hassleberry caught Haru before he hit the ground. "Are you alright?"

"I…I'm fine. I guess I just tripped." Haru stood back up again. "Now come on! This city isn't going to save itself!"

…

"Everyone keep moving!" Selena shouted, ushering all the citizens into the centre of the city, where they all crowded around a large statue of an admiral set atop of a pillar.

"Selena, we have to change location! Aster has got in touch. He says they are heading this way!" James yelled, still clutching his communication medallion.

"Oh no!" Selena gasped. She flew up into the sky and landed atop of the statue. "Alright everyone, get moving towards the…the…" Selena frantically looked around while trying to finish her sentence. "To the cathedral!" She eventually said, pointing to her right at the cathedral in the distance. "Yeah, to the cathedral!" Without questioning her orders, the humans all ran towards the huge cathedral, several tripping and being stamped on in their frantic rush to get to safety.

"Alright, I think that's all of them." Selena sighed, relieved.

"No. There are more people heading this way. Daisy made sure they were safe herself. When they arrive, we shall tell them to head towards the cathedral."

"What amazes me is how they don't even notice that the person helping them has wings." As she spoke, Selena floated down gracefully onto the ground beside James.

"Heck, I bet they're so scared they don't care if you have the head of a lizard." Selena laughed at James' joke.

"Selena!"

"Eh?" Selena turned around, and was greeted by a tight hug from Jesse. "Jesse?"

"Thank god…" Jesse sighed.

"I'm sorry I worried you." Selena apologised, smiling. "But they're not here yet. And, I'm glad you are okay as well." Selena glanced at Zane. "And you, Zane. You must be very shocked." She gave a polite bow. "I'm sorry we hid this from you."

"Um…it's alright." Zane said, surprised.

"Unh…"

"Huh? Meno?" Zane looked down at Meno, whose eyes were half open. "Meno!" Relief washed over Zane's face.

"Hey, soldier. Welcome back to the world of the living."

"Wh…where am I?" Meno looked up at Zane. "Zane? What are you doing here?"

"What do you think I'm doing? I'm saving your life."

"What?" Meno's eyes widened. She looked at her hand. "I'm alive?" She turned away sadly. "But…I should be dead."

"Don't be silly. You shouldn't die now. Not while I'm here."

"Isn't that a little hypocritical, Zane? After all, you did help aim the gun." Hassleberry asked, arms folded with narrow eyes.

"Shut up, Hassleberry! You helped too!"

"Meno, as your adopted father, I would never think that you deserve to die. If anything, it's your other side that deserves to die."

"Oh yeah, speaking of which, you both split into two when you were shot. But don't worry, Syrus defeated her." Jesse pointed out.

"Syrus did?" Meno asked.

"Yes." Haru nodded. "It was tricky at first but then he-"

"He knocked her out cold." James cut in, making Haru unable to finish his sentence. "Think about Meno's feelings. How would she react if she found out about Syrus?" James asked in a hushed voice. Haru nodded, understanding.

"Is he… is he okay?" Meno asked.

"Don't worry. He's fine." Hassleberry said loudly, waving a hand airily.

"Oh, thank goodness." Meno sighed, closing her eyes. "Wait a minute." Meno opened her eyes. "Zane…" Her cheeks turned bright red. "Why are you holding me like this?"

"Well, I couldn't exactly drag you, could I?" Zane said, half joking.

"B-b-but…I-I-I'm so c-c-c-close to you." Meno stuttered, clinging onto his coat.

"Relax, I'm not going to drop you."

"Heaven forbid." Hassleberry muttered.

"Th-Th-That's not the problem." Meno protested, her blush getting redder and kicking her legs. "I-I-I'm awake now! You can put me d-d-down again!"

"No way." Zane said firmly.

"What?"

"You heard me. I'm not letting go of you again even if it killed me." Zane smiled down at Meno. "You have nothing to be afraid of. I'll protect you, Meno. And… I promise to never let you get hurt again." Meno's blush lightened to a light pink.

"Zane…thank you." Meno whispered, snuggling into Zane with her eyes closed and a smile on her face.

"They like each other very much, don't they?" Selena said quietly with a soft smile, while James nodded in reply.

"You're in luuuuurrve." Aster said loudly, peering behind Zane.

"WAH!"

"EEK!" Meno squealed, clinging onto Zane's neck.

"Why the hell are you scaring us like that?" Zane snapped. "Do you have any idea of the situation we're in?"

"Well, I'm glad you're okay, too." Aster said huffily. "Anyway, save finding Kai, Dad. I've already contacted him. He's on his way now."

"Who's Kai?" Zane asked. "Wait, dad?" Zane exclaimed, staring at James.

"?" James blinked. "What's that look for?"

"You're his father? I thought you were dead!"

"That's a little rude. And yes, Aster brought me back to life." James said as if it were an everyday thing.

"I…I think I'm going to faint." Zane groaned.

"Yes, it's all very confusing, I know." Hiruko patted Zane's arm. "But rest assured we'll provide an explanation after all this is over. Oh, and by the way, I'm not Aster's neighbour." Hiruko trotted back over to Jaden's side, leaving Zane dumbfounded.

"Well, it looks like everyone is here. And most of the Kishido's are already incapacitated." Aster stood in the middle of the group. "We've only taken out a quarter of their forces. The rest will be heading here any minute, so be on your guard."

"Aster, how can you tell the Kishido's are unconscious?" Zane asked.

"I can't." Aster answered. "It's Haru and Selena who can sense them, and they say that most of them are already defeated. We're lucky these ones are weak."

"So then…what about Voice?" Zane asked.

"Voice?" Meno gasped. "This is what they meant when they said I split in two?"

"Don't worry, I'm sure she's out of commission for a while." Hassleberry said with confidence.

"I'm not convinced." Haru said suddenly. "Before this attack started, I could still sense Voice, even though she couldn't move."

"Say what?" Hiruko's eyes grew wide.

"But that means…" Jesse started.

"She was commanding the Kishido's all along!" Zane realised.

"Correct."

"!" The gang gasped and looked all around them. Coming down the alleyways towards the centre were waves of the blue haired Kishido's.

"She is the one who commanded us to attack the city. She was the one who made sure we didn't die. We are the chosen race that will wipe out mankind and create a world where Kishido's rule." The Kishido's all said at the same time, and were filing into the city centre into lines, until they surrounded the gang in a large circle, but they were still quite a distance from them.

"So many Kishido's." Jaden muttered, gun raised.

"Can we take them?" Hiruko asked, standing back to back with Jaden.

"Geez, what a pain." Hassleberry moaned, bearing his fists.

_So Voice was commanding them?_ Meno thought, staring at the hundreds of Kishido's. _No wonder I'm still alive. But…Voice used to be a part of me, so…_ Her eyes narrowed in determination. _Maybe I can stop this._

"Selena, how many are there?" James asked.

"There's…one hundred. No…one hundred and thirty…fifty…" Selena placed a hand on her head. "There's so many I can't count them!"

"It's all two hundred of them!" Haru gasped. "They rest of them must have woken up!"

"Two hundred?" James said slowly.

"If we split up, we can take them on. Don't give up guys." Aster said, poised to fight.

"How naïve." The Kishido's said. "You believe you can win? You of course couldn't realise that we have a trump card."

"A trump card?" Daisy repeated. "What could it be?"

"Behold!" The Kishido's raised glowing pink hands. In the sky, a small pink energy field lowered until it fell onto the ground like snow. It started to grow in size, creating a dome shape.

"Hey, isn't that the dome we saw earlier?" Hiruko asked. Eventually, the dome was over fifty feet tall, and the gang could only stare up at it as the glow faded.

"This is our trump card."

"!" When the glowing disappeared, everyone could see that, floating inside the dome, were hundreds of unconscious people.

"But how?" James wondered, staring up at the dome.

"Well, this city has so many people, we just couldn't resist capturing them rather than killing them."

"Dammit…" Aster hissed, clenching his fists. "Just how many innocent lives do you have to take before you are satisfied, huh?" Aster shouted.

"Aster, calm down." James said.

"Enough!"

"Huh?" Jaden turned around. "Meno?" Meno looked away from the dome, pained. Instead, she fixed her firm gaze on the Kishido's.

"It is not the Kishido way to capture humans." She said in a commanding voice. "You should be ashamed of yourselves. And you, human, set me down."

"Huh? But…" Zane started. Meno looked up at him and discreetly winked at him. Zane's eyes widened briefly. Eventually, he nodded and set Meno down on her feet. She walked forward, past Zane, past James, past Hassleberry and Haru, and past the rest of the gang until she stood in front of the dome containing the humans.

"There are over five hundred humans in here! Do you have any idea how much of a massacre this is?" Meno shouted. "It's true that we Kishido's thrive in bloodshed, but this many at once? Do you know what this could mean? It would draw the attention of the humans! That's right! Humans would come and kill us all! Surely, my friends, you don't want our race to be wiped out once again, do you? Therefore…" Meno pointed at the Kishido's. "As your queen, I order you to release these humans!"

_I get it._ Aster thought. _She's pretending to be Voice so that these people can be saved. Wow…Meno sure is bold._

A silence came over the Kishido's. They raised their hands up once again, the pink glow surrounding it. "That's it." Meno encouraged.

"Nice try…" The Kishido's said. They smiled. "Get out of our way…you fake!"

"!" Meno gasped.

"They figured it out?" James said, eyes wide.

"What? What did they figure out?" Syrus asked, confused.

"Vanish from our sight!" The Kishido's fired blasts of pink energy towards Meno.

"LOOK OUT!" A shadow leapt towards Meno, grabbed her waist and shoved her away from the blasts, just as the hundreds of beams hit the dome, making it grow several feet taller.

"Oof." Meno landed on the ground hard. "Ow." She sat up, rubbing her head.

"Are you alright?"

"You're…" Meno started. In front of Meno was Kai, who was down on one knee and dressed in a green hooded cloak. "Kai!"

"Meno!" Zane knelt down beside Meno. "You're not hurt, are you?" Meno shook her head. "Phew."

"I'm sorry." Meno apologised sadly. "I couldn't save them."

"Don't worry about it. You had us all convinced." Jaden grinned.

"What's the situation, James?" Kai asked, standing to face James.

"There are two hundred Kishido's surrounding us, and they have over five hundred humans inside that sphere. We don't know what their goal is, but we have to assume that whatever it is, they intend to use those humans."

"I see…" Kai said thoughtfully.

"Aster, who is he?" Zane asked.

"Oh, him? That's Daisy's dad." Aster said calmly.

"EH?" Zane exclaimed.

"?" Daisy blinked in confusion.

"If they're going to do something with those people, then wouldn't they have done it by now?" Jesse asked.

"They're probably waiting for orders from "Her Majesty" or something." Hassleberry answered with a sarcastic edge.

"Hassleberry…" Haru sighed. "You really are…whoa!" Before Haru could finish his sentence, he began to fall to the ground, but Hassleberry grabbed his arm before he came into contact with the pavement.

"Are you alright?" Hassleberry asked, pulling Haru up.

"I…I think I am. It's just that…all of a sudden, I couldn't stand up properly."

"Huh. That's weird."

"Yeah, I…I guess it is."

"Speaking of weird, is it just me, or are those people glowing?" Hiruko asked, pointing up at the dome. Sure enough, the humans inside the pink dome were glowing white, and it completely enveloped their bodies.

"What's going on?" Selena asked.

"Whatever it is, I'm getting a bad feeling." Kai reached for the sword in his sheath. "Daisy, stay back."

"Hmph…don't go telling me what to do, jerk." Daisy folded her arms and turned away from Kai. While this was happening, the white glowing filled up the entire sphere, which forced everyone but the Kishido's to shield their eyes.

"It's almost complete." The Kishido's said, and their bodies glowed white.

"What the…" Aster started. "Now they're glowing too?" His eyes widened. "Wait. Are they…?" When the white light completely took over the bodies of the Kishido's, each one shot up into the sky like fireworks. As soon as they were airborne, they fell down at rocket speed and into the sphere. "Now they're inside it?"

"Whatever they're doing, it's going to be big." James concluded. The glowing in the sphere became even brighter, and then it started stretching taller and taller, until it looked like a thin, narrow tower.

"It is almost time!"

"!" Everyone looked up at where the voice came from. Standing on the spire of the cathedral was Voice, who was still injured from her previous fight.

"Voice?" Syrus gasped. "How can she move with those injuries?" Voice jumped up into the sky, and as she descended to the ground, her speed slowed down so she almost floated back down, until her feet lightly touched the pavement.

"Meno, stay behind me." Zane said, standing up with a protective arm in front of Meno.

"If you value your lives, you will take the rest of the worthless humans in this city and run." Voice said.

"What are you going to do?" Jaden demanded.

"Oh, not much." Voice shrugged. "I'm just going to use this…" Voice indicated the white glowing column. "To destroy the city. And these Kishido girls are all too willing to help their queen, who is none other than moi." Voice jammed a thumb onto her chest, pointing at herself.

_So she's using the lives of those humans and Kishido's for this?_ Kai thought, looking up at the white tower. _How cruel._

"Meno…" Voice started, looking at Meno, who flinched and clung onto Zane's outstretched arm. "You were always a weakling, and that will never change. The moment Syrus shot me and we split, my use of you has stopped. Now, you are just another human with powers weaker than my own." Voice narrowed her eyes. "Do you hear me, Meno? You are nothing. You are nothing more than a worthless pawn that looks like me. You will forever shoulder the burden of all the lives I took away, while I go scot free."

"That's enough!" Zane snapped.

"…" Voice stared up at Zane. "If I ever see you again, tell your father I give him my regards."

"You know I can't, because you killed him."

"Exactly." Voice said, smiling.

"Those girls are the last Kishido's on earth! You're their queen, right? So why are you making them kill themselves over something as stupid as this?" Jesse demanded.

"Because I can." She looked away. "And anyway, it's better this way." She said quietly.

"?" Aster blinked, hearing the last part of what Voice said.

"Well, I have said all I want to say, so I'll be taking my leave now." Voice turned around and began to walk away. "Enjoy my little present."

"Wait!" Selena cried. Voice stopped walking. "Just…who exactly are you?"

"Hmmm…" Voice turned back around. "You know, I've never thought about that." Voice held her chin thoughtfully. "Um…" She then smiled a sinister smile. "Call me Omen from now on."

"It's an anagram!" Hiruko yelled happily.

"Oh, yeah!" Jaden exclaimed, beaming. "I get it!"

"I don't get it." Syrus hung his head.

"Farewell, humans." Omen disappeared in a flash of pink light.

"She's gone!" Syrus gasped, snapping his head back up.

"But she's left behind a souvenir." Aster looked back up at the tower. His eyes widened. "A souvenir that's starting to look real weird!"

"What do you mean?" James asked.

"Is it just me, or is that an arm?"

"Sam hill, you're right, Haru!"

"I see a foot!"

"There's another one!"

"What in the…is that a tail?"

"What's happening?" Zane asked, wide eyed.

"I didn't know we could do this." Meno said, shaking her head.

"Now it's got a head?" Hassleberry exclaimed. The morphing fifty foot tower soon took the form of a giant two legged lizard-like creature, and the white glow faded, revealing itself.

"It's a…"

"It's a…"

"IT'S GODZILLA!" Jaden yelled. "A [INK, GLOWING GODZILLA!"

"Godzilla doesn't exist!" Daisy yelled. "But you're right; it does kinda look like Godzilla. Impressive."

"This is not good. This is not good at all!" Hiruko shook his head.

"Hassleberry, get some tanks over here!"

"It's not as easy as that, Jesse!"

"Movies aren't always right, you know!"

"Alright, everyone just calm down!" Aster turned his back to the giant pink monster and faced the gang. "Meno, can't you counter it?"

"Probably, but that thing is made of two hundred Kishido's. On my own, I couldn't possibly do anything."

"I see. What if Syrus..." James grabbed Aster's shoulder, stopping him. "Dad?" James shook his head at Aster, who understood instantly.

"Well? What's the plan?" Syrus asked.

"Never mind what I said." Aster shook his head. "What if we-"

"Aw, screw this!" Daisy stomped past Aster and towards the giant glowing monster.

"AH! Hold it, Daisy!"

"Hey!" Daisy shouted. "Over here, freak!" Daisy waved her arms above her head, and the lizard turned its head towards her. "Come and show me what your made of, you giant overgrown lizard thing!"

"Whoa... Is this what she's always like, Aster?" Zane asked.

"Yeah. She is kinda impatient." Aster nodded. He sighed. "Someday, she'll be the death of me."

"Well, shouldn't you save her?"

"Nah. She'll be fine." Aster smirked. "After all, you don't know how strong she really is."

"Didn't you hear me?" Daisy yelled. "Come at me!" The monster raised a clawed finger towards Daisy. The tip glowed, and a pink energy beam shot out of it. "Heh. Gotcha!" Quick as a flash, Daisy reached into her bag and revealed a wooden stick with a shiny red ribbon attached. "Chinese ribbons!" Holding the stick above her head, Daisy began to spin around on the spot, until she was so fast, she was literally a whirlwind of purple, white and red. The energy beam hit Daisy, but instead of doing damage, the glow was just absorbed into the whirlwind. When the attack stopped, Daisy stopped spinning, and the ribbon fell gracefully onto the ground, glowing pink.

"What was that?" Zane gasped.

"Daisy has powers, too." Aster explained. "She's a charmcaster. I don't know much about them, but I'm guessing they have a fixed element, like Selena."

"Really?" Kai asked, over hearing. "Then, what's her element?"

"Wow. I wasn't expecting this." Daisy said, holding her glowing ribbon in her hand. "I wonder what happens when I do…THIS!" Daisy twisted the ribbon in the air, creating patterns of red and pink in the sky as the ribbon danced. Daisy then cracked the ribbon like a whip, and the energy beam shot back towards the monster, who got hit head on.

"Her element? Isn't it obvious?" Aster smiled. "It's the wind."

"Heh. Not bad for a ribbon that's not my colour." Daisy tugged on the ribbon, making it taught. "Don't underestimate Daisy Aria Portrait." Daisy looked over her shoulder. "Come on, guys. What are you waiting for? We gotta kick this thing's ass!"

"Huh?" Hassleberry blinked. "I can't punch that monster!"

"Then use your sickle and chain, you moron!" Daisy snapped.

"Oh, yeah!" Hassleberry beamed, while Haru sighed.

"Alright! Time to get our game on!" Jaden yelled, holding his gun high. "Man, it feels good to say that."

"Guess I should take to the skies." Hiruko grinned.

"What?" Zane blinked. Hiruko's body began to glow, and a pair of green bat like wings appeared on his back. "Huh?"

"You didn't think I was normal like you, did you?" Hiruko asked. "How else would I make the sword on my arm appear?"

"So…you…you're…"

"Yup." Hiruko smiled happily. "I'm a shape shifter. See ya!" Hiruko flapped his wings and took off into the sky.

"Wh…Wha…" Zane stuttered.

"Zane…are you okay?" Meno asked.

"I never thought I would be beyond confused."

"Hey Haru, shouldn't you join Hiruko?" Jesse asked.

"Eh?"

"Well, you can fly can't you?"

"Yeah, but…" Haru turned away. "It's just that…"

"Oh…it's because of what happened, isn't it?" Jesse asked. Haru nodded. "Wait, are you feeling okay?"

"What are you talking about?" Haru asked, confused.

"You don't look so good. Kinda pale looking."

"?" Haru cocked his head to the side. "I feel fine. I'm still a little dizzy, but I'm okay. I'm…" Before Haru could finish his sentence, he collapsed onto the ground.

"Haru!" Hassleberry got down onto the ground beside Haru. "Hey, get it together!"

"Hey!" Jesse knelt down in front of Haru. "Wait a minute…" Jesse felt Haru's forehead. "Aw, man, he's burning up!"

"A fever?" Hassleberry gasped. "Why now, of all times?" Jesse stood up, and quickly created a lightning bolt in his right hand.

"Hassleberry, I'm leaving Haru up to you." Jesse ran off with Jaden and Syrus towards the monster.

"Sorry, Hassleberry…" Haru apologised weakly. "I can't help you guys…"

"Don't worry about it, alright?" Hassleberry grabbed Haru's arm and placed it around his shoulders. He then stood up so that Haru was on his back. "I said before, didn't I? Best friends protect each other."

"R…right…"

"Okay, so…how are we going to do this?" Aster asked, while he and the rest of the gang stared up at the monster.

"It didn't look fazed when I blasted it with its own attack." Daisy shrugged. "Makes sense though."

"Then let's give him some of our own power!" Jaden aimed his gun at the head of the monster. "Take this!" Jaden shot the monster with a huge burst of green fire.

"And here's a little something from me!" Jesse hurled the lightning bolt he was holding into the fire, which wrapped around the lightning bolt like wind, and the monster was hit with a long blast of green and yellow. The monster inhaled, and the fire travelled into its open mouth, until there wasn't a single ember left. The monster let out a rumbled sigh, and the gang sweat dropped with dumb founded expressions. Even Kai and James were made utterly speechless.

"It ate it." Haru muttered.

"Is…" Hiruko started, dropping down so that he hovered next to Jaden. "Is this real?"

"And did that giant…lizard…thing… just burp?" Syrus asked.

"RAWR!" The monster roared, charging up a circular blast in front of its mouth, but this time, it was coloured green, pink and yellow. It fired the huge blast to where everyone was standing. They all barely managed to dodge the huge destructive attack without a scratch, and they ran full pelt down the street away from the pink beast.

"That worked well, didn't it?" Hassleberry shouted.

"If you've got an idea better than running away, be my guest!" Jesse shouted back.

"That thing copied me! That thing totally copied me!"

"Now what?" Hiruko asked, flying as fast as he could go.

"We need to get far enough from that thing so we can create another strategy." Aster decided.

"In here!" Kai rammed his shoulder into a wood board that blocked the doorway of a derelict building, and everyone ran inside the ruins of the building. Kai picked up the wood and covered the doorway up once more, enveloping everyone into darkness.

"Okay…we should be safe in here for now." Jaden gasped, out of breath.

"Right. Um…can we have a little light here?"

"Oh, right." A fireball lit up the entire room as though the light switch had been flipped. It hovered up into the ceiling so that there was a view of everyone in the room. "How's this?"

"Great. Thanks, Aster."

"You okay?" Hassleberry asked, setting Haru down so that he was against the wall.

"For now I am. I won't be able to help you fight for a while, though."

"Selena, can you keep an eye on him?"

"Right." Selena nodded, already by Haru's side.

"Okay, so magic attacks aren't going to work, and any of that thing's attacks we deflect don't even do any damage." Kai said, reminding everyone of their situation.

"Hold on, I've got a plan. Just lemme check something." Jaden moved the wood out of the way and ran outside. Silence. Several seconds later, Jaden ran back in.

"It's a disaster! A complete and utter disaster!" Jaden yelled, waving his arms up and down.

"Why? What is it?" Aster asked. "Is something wrong?"

"Yeah of course something's wrong!" Jaden clutched his head. "Where's the zipper in the back? Aw, man, there goes my whole strategy! GACK!" Jaden was interrupted from his panic when Aster punched him across the head.

"Has anyone got any SMART ideas?" Aster grumbled, his eyebrow twitching.

"Oh, oh, what about this?" Jaden ran to Kai and unsheathed his sword.

"Hey, give that back!"

"We just have to cut, cut, cut and cut!" Jaden yelled, slashing the air with Kai's sword. "Chop, chop, chop, chop and we win!" Everyone backed away from Jaden as he got closer and closer to them while he ran around the room, waving the katana in the air.

"Jaden, stop waving that around! You're really going to kill someone!" Aster yelled. "Whoa!" He ducked when Jaden slashed the air where his head used to be.

"Whoops. Sorry."

"Urgh, anyway what's the plan?" Aster asked, gradually losing his patience.

"Weeeeell… if we chop his legs and arms off, he won't be able to move." Jaden said simply, indicating by slicing the air again. "Like this…oops!" Jaden attempted to demonstrate, but the katana fell out of his grip and the tip wedged into the wall, just inches above Jesse's head.

"Yeek!" Jesse yelped.

"Jaden, you are unbelievable!" Zane yelled. "Remind me how you defeated me again?"

"Sorry." Jaden muttered, hanging his head.

"Are you okay, Jesse?" Aster asked, pulling the sword out of the wall.

"I just saw my entire life flash before my eyes." Jesse muttered, still spooked. "Why did I call my teacher "mom"?"

"Oh…kay." Aster said slowly. "Here you go, Kai. Sorry about that."

"It's alright." Kai reached out to take the sword from Aster's hand. "For defeating that monster, we should-" Kai grabbed his sword hilt, but as soon as he touched it he stopped talking, eyes wide.

"Hm? Is something wrong?" Aster asked.

_What is this?_ Kai thought. _What is this feeling? Just by touching this sword, his power is already inside it. It's so strong…no ordinary human would be able to handle it, but anything Aster touches seems to have his powers inside it._

"Um…daddy?" Daisy waved a hand in front of Kai's face.

_Could this be…the phoenix fire?_

"Aster," Kai started, taking the sword out of Aster's hand. "Listen carefully to me. We may be able to defeat that thing."

"Huh? You serious?"

…

"Jesse is here." Alister said, still in his Bandit guise. He jumped onto a building that was in front of the ruined building the rest of the gang were sheltered inside.

"Let's see…" Alister narrowed his eyes at the building. "Good. Everyone is safe." Alister took a step forward, but suddenly, his eyes widened and he collapsed onto one knee.

_Wha…what is this power I'm sensing?_ Alister thought, out of breath. _I can't even go near this building right now. But…it feels familiar. Is it… is it Aster?_ Alister struggled back onto his feet.

"It's gone now. I can move a lot more easily now." Alister sighed. "But even so… Is this the power of the phoenix fire?"

…

"Now we are ready!" Kai declared.

"Um, that's great and all, but…" Aster started. Kai had his sword drawn, and Aster was standing behind him, holding onto the katana's hilt. "Do I have to be this close to you?"

"Yes. You need my swordsmanship to defeat the monster, and your skills with the sword may be great, but they are weaker than mine. Your powers make my attacks stronger just by touching my sword."

"Why can't I just use your sword? And my sword skills are just fine. Probably better than yours. I mean, I've beaten Syrus several times, and then there was Ember before that, and am I missing any out?" Aster asked, staring up at the ceiling in thought.

"This is the only way to win, Aster. This is no time to be reflecting on the past and whether you're a good swordsman or not." Aster let go of the sword.

"You know, Kai, for a former Juusenshi, you sure are an idiot." Aster said bluntly.

"Quiet!" Kai yelled, spinning around to face Aster. "If we want to defeat that thing, I need your power of the phoenix fire into my sword to give me enough power to destroy it. Right now, your powers are leaking out into anything you touch, and I'm trying to use that to our advantage!"

"Yeah, I get that, but do you have to sound so insulting?" Aster asked.

"Grrr… just hold onto my sword and release your phoenix fire already!"

"Huh?" Aster blinked, his face becoming blank.

"What are you waiting for? Release your phoenix fire!"

"How do I do that?" Aster asked, still wearing a blank expression.

"What?" Kai exclaimed, almost falling down. "You mean to tell me you don't even know how to control it?" Kai leaned closer to Aster, their faces inches apart, prompting Aster to lean back in surprise. "How have you been battling the enemy this whole time?"

"Um… luck?" Aster answered sheepishly.

"Luck?" Kai muttered. "That ridiculous."

"Yeah well, with some of the enemies, I just get really powerful when I least expect it." Aster showed Kai the silver phoenix that he carried around with him. "This guy even helped me out a few times. And anyway, in some of my battles, everything that happened is pretty much a blur. I can't even remember how my fight with Ember ended."

"Really?" Kai asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Yeah. Everything is a blacked out blur. Weird, huh? Anyway, I just always assumed my powers were at their maximum and they'd help out when I was desperate or something. Besides, this phoenix said I have to wait until the time is right before I can wield the phoenix fire."

_Is he serious?_ Kai thought. _Aster can't remember how most of his fights ended? Not only that, but it's almost as if the phoenix fire has been inside him all this time. But, he doesn't even know how to use it._ Kai looked at the phoenix in Aster's hand. _Plus, I'm feeling some intense power from that crest._

"Aster…may I have a look at that crest you are holding?" Kai asked, a hand outstretched.

"Um…sure." Aster dropped the crest into Kai's open hand.

_It's gone._ Kai thought. _As soon as it left Aster's hand, I could no longer sense any power._

"Thank you." Kai dropped the crest back into Aster's hand. "You tell me that that is the phoenix fire?"

"No." Aster shook his head. "It's just a small part of the phoenix fire. It told me a few days ago that there are three parts to the phoenix fire. The first one is this crest. And the second part is inside me. The rest of it…well, I don't know where it is. The spirit told me that it's already close by, and I'm just trying to figure out where it is."

_The spirit of the phoenix fire is divided?_ James thought. _And it is already nearby?_

"So, you don't know where the rest of the phoenix fire is?" Kai asked. Aster shook his head.

"If I did, then I'd have brought it out already. It looks like…the phoenix fire is the only thing that can take that monster out."

"!" Everyone almost lost their balance after a rumbling noise disturbed them.

"What was that?" Jesse gasped.

"It's that monster!" Meno cried. "I can sense it! It's nearby!"

"What? How far?" James asked.

"It's… It's above us!" Meno pointed at the ceiling. Suddenly dust and debris rained down on everyone. Hassleberry held up his shield above his head, as well as Haru and Selena. Hiruko materialised his diamond blade and swatted away anything that was about to fall on top of him. Kai used his own sword to do the same. The rest of the gang could only duck and cover their heads. Aster drew out the water from the puddles on the floor, and quick as a flash, made a dome above everyone's heads, and the rock and debris bounced off of it as though it were made of rubber.

"What's going on?" Jesse yelled.

"I don't know!" Syrus yelled back.

"Aster, did you just make the water move?"

"For the last time, we'll explain everything when this is over, alright?" While everyone was shouting, part of the wall started to crack and crumble, until it completely detached itself from the building, exposing them. Directly above them was the monster, clutching the top of the building in its clawed hand. Everyone stared up at it, and the water dome collapsed onto the ground without leaving a single speck of water on anybody.

"This is not happening! This is not happening!" Syrus shouted over and over again.

"Great, now what?" Aster exclaimed, waving a hand through the fireball he created to extinguish it.

"We kick that thing's butt." Jaden gave Aster a mischievous look. "After all, you don't want to look bad in front of your fan girls, right?"

"I don't care about my fan girls right now! I'm more worried about getting my ass stomped!"

"That does it! I'm choppin' his arm off!" Daisy pulled a dagger with a green hilt out of her bag. "Wind Slash!" Daisy sliced the air with the dagger, and a blast of wind shot towards the monster, and went straight through its right arm, making the lower part that was cut off disappear. "Yeah!" Daisy punched the air. However, after several seconds, another arm grew out of the stump it was made from. "Huh?" Daisy exclaimed, open mouthed.

"Oh that's fair. We can get killed, but that thing regenerates after a few seconds!" Hassleberry yelled, exasperated.

"Well, what about this?" Jesse cracked his whip at the monsters neck, and the head disappeared. "Ha ha!" He yelled triumphantly. "Let's see you regenera…oh." Jesse sweat dropped. "You just did."

"This is just ridiculous!" Jaden yelled.

"Watch out!" Syrus yelled, noticing that the monster was now charging up a blast in its mouth, and it fired almost immediately.

_It's faster!_ Aster thought, wide eyed. Without thinking, Syrus stood in front of the gang.

"Huh?" Syrus blinked. "What am I doing? Yeek!" Syrus crossed his arms in front of him as the blast drew closer and closer towards everyone. Suddenly, a blue shield appeared around Syrus, repelling the beam back at the monster. It hit the head directly, and the monster clutched its head, roaring in pain.

"Syrus…how did you do that?" Hiruko asked, amazed.

"I have no clue." Syrus said, dumbfounded.

"Syrus…" Meno started, stepping forward. "I sensed a Kishido for just an instant." She closed her eyes tightly. "Syrus…you…"

"I guess there's no use hiding it now." James sighed. "Syrus…you are half Kishido."

"!" Syrus gasped, wide eyed. "I'm…what?"

"You're half Kishido. When you were touched by Meno's powers back in the park, part of her Kishido DNA went inside you. You should be naturally immune to it, like your brother, but it had weakened, hence why you are only half Kishido with no other side like Meno."

"But…why didn't you say anything?" Syrus demanded. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because…" Zane started. "Because we were protecting you and Meno."

"Zane…" Syrus said quietly.

"RAWR!" The monster, fully recovered, charged up another beam, this time it was one in each hand.

"Everyone who is able to, take to the skies!" Daisy yelled, her white wings already on her back. She took off to the sky, and unfolded two fans decorated with paintings of daisies. "Take…this!" Daisy yelled, crossing the fans in front of each other. "Go!" Daisy fanned the air once with the fans, creating a twister that flew towards the energy blast charging in the right hand. It was a successful hit, and it extinguished, decorating the sky with pink confetti like shapes. "Hiruko!"

"Gotcha!" Hiruko, his wings out, turned his right arm into something resembling a giant claw, and he slashed at the other energy ball, extinguishing that one as well and creating more confetti. "Sweetness!" The confetti sped towards Daisy and Hiruko, and it attacked itself to each of their bodies. "What the…" Suddenly, there were two flashes of pink lightning from the sky, and Daisy and Hiruko were hit with each one. They dropped down from the sky and landed back on the ground, completely beaten. Daisy's wings disappeared, until the silver charms were by her side.

"Daisy!" Aster yelled, dropping down to her side. "Hang in there! Daisy!"

"What happened?" Hassleberry gasped.

"Great. Now we can't stop its attacks? Damn!" Jesse punched what was left of the wall. "It can't end like this!"

"Are you alright?" Aster asked. Daisy looked up at Aster weakly.

"Sorry…I guess… I was being a little…reckless." Daisy winced.

"Don't overstrain yourself. Just stay here, alright?" Aster stood up, looking up at the monster. "I'll take care of this thing myself."

_Aster…_Daisy thought.

"Meno, can you heal Daisy and Hiruko?" Aster asked without turning around.

"Y…Yes."

"Then please, help them. I'm going to put an end to this once and for all." Aster closed his eyes.

_Hey, phoenix fire._ Aster thought. _I know you think I'm not ready yet, but… tell me what to do to be worthy. I need you now more than ever!_

"_Is that so?"_

"Huh?" Aster opened his eyes. The crest he had been holding in his hand the entire time was glowing. Aster let go of it, and it floated out of his hand and hovered above everyone's heads.

"Is that…?" Kai started.

"The phoenix fire?" James finished.

"Is this Aster's power?" Zane asked. "I thought all he could do was fly and manipulate water."

"Nope." Jaden smiled. "He's the leader of our group. Know why? Because he's the strongest out of all of us."

"Really?"

"Yup. He can control all four elements. Plus…he's got that phoenix fire." Jaden folded his arms. "Just sit back and relax, Zane. You're about to see Aster's true powers."

"_You want me to tell you how to be worthy of wielding the phoenix fire?"_ The glowing crest asked.

"Yes." Aster nodded. The monster roared, about to attack again, but a pulsation came out of the phoenix, and the monster was surrounded by a glowing orange energy that bound its arms to its sides like rope.

"_You want to know why? It's because…you lack the resolve and determination I am looking for."_

"!" Aster's eyes widened.

"_You are afraid of those who are precious to you getting hurt, or worse. You are afraid you aren't strong enough to protect them. And, most importantly…you are afraid that you won't be able to save your mother."_

"His mother?" Zane exclaimed. "Don't tell me you brought your mother back to life as well!"

"Can't you not be confused for a few damn minutes?" Aster yelled, spinning around to face him. "I'm trying to have an important conversation here!"

"_Well?"_

"Eh?" Aster turned back around. "Didn't we already have a conversation like this?"

"_That is true, but you still have the same fear in your body. You explained to me why you were doing all this, but you still lack what I need to give you my power. So, what will it be, Master? How will you answer me this time?"_ Aster hesitated for a moment, looking at the ground.

"Heh." Aster smirked. "Is that all?" Aster looked up with determination in his eyes. "In that case, I'll just have to throw away that fear. My friends are depending on me for us to succeed! I have a mother to save! If you say that I'm afraid of losing, then I'll just have to win, won't I? I can…no, we can do it! But, we can't do it alone! That's why I am calling to you, so please…" Aster outstretched a hand to the phoenix crest, still smiling. "Won't you help us in our task, phoenix fire?"

"…" The phoenix' glow grew even brighter. _"It looks like you've found it. Your determination…and your resolve."_ The phoenix went even higher into the sky. _"Very well. You have passed the final test. I shall tell you where the last fragment of the phoenix fire is."_

"Really?" Aster said.

"_Yes. It has been with you all along."_

"Huh?" Aster cocked his head to the side, confused. "What the…" The manacle on his arm was glowing brightly, and it lifted itself off of Aster's arm and joined the phoenix in the sky.

"It was in the manacle this whole time?" James gasped. The two glows surrounding the manacle and phoenix became brighter, until they were in a glow that was like a star in the sky. Small tendrils shot out of the phoenix and grabbed the manacle, and they gradually pulled the manacle towards the crest. As soon as the two fragments met, the manacle seemed to liquefy and it got sucked inside of the crest. The glow changed into a bright white light, and it floated down in front of Aster.

"_Let's save the world together, Master."_

"Hey come on, is that any way to address your partner?" Aster smiled cheerfully. "Call me Aster, 'kay?"

"_Heh. It's going to take a long time to get used to that."_ Aster reached out to grab the crest.

"No problem. Now…let's save this city…together." Aster grabbed the crest. As soon as he did, there was a huge burst of golden fire.

"Look out!" Hassleberry ducked down onto the ground.

"Hassleberry, you know it's not going to hurt you." Jesse muttered, eyes narrow.

"Oh, er…I knew that. Heheh." Hassleberry stood up, laughing and rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. The golden fire spread upwards into the sky, until it made the shape of the phoenix from the fight with Nevara.

"That's…" Haru gasped, recognising the form of the phoenix.

"RAWR!" The monster roared once again, the binds around its arms breaking, and it lowered a clawed hand towards the gang. It shot out several energy beams from each finger, and they hit the ground after a single second. The beams turned into pink balls of light on contact with the ground, and they grew taller until they were in the shape of humans.

"Look out, everyone!" James and Kai stood in front of the kids, Kai with his sword drawn.

"How many?" James asked.

"It's only ten, but don't underestimate them." Kai answered.

"I don't have much power in me, so can I leave them to you?"

"Are you kidding me?" Jesse exclaimed, overhearing.

"We want to fight!" Selena said.

"Kai, we should let them help. After all, they are all capable fighters. Well, other than him." James indicated Zane.

"Alright." Kai nodded. "Aster will take care of that monster. We will stop these things before they destroy the city. Everyone!" Kai looked over his shoulder, addressing the rest of the gang. "Protect the city!"

"Got it!" Hassleberry nodded.

"What can I do?" Zane asked.

"Um…you can…um…" Kai stuttered, refusing to make eye contact with Zane.

"Never mind." Zane sighed. "If you can't think of anything for me to do, just say so."

"Alright, let's go!" Jaden took aim with his gun and fired a fireball at each small beast. However, the blasts went straight through them, creating a hole in their stomach's, which healed up instantly. "What the…"

"What about this?" Hassleberry spun his sickle above his head before throwing it at one of them. It sliced straight through its neck, but after several seconds, it healed up again. "Oh, come on! Whoa!" Hassleberry jumped out of the way as one of the clones dashed towards him, and it punched the wall Hassleberry was previously standing in front of, destroying it into rubble.

"Wh…What power!" Kai said, wide eyed. "GACK!" Kai managed to block a sword attack from another pink human clone, and for several seconds, they remained there, pushing against each other's blades, until the clone knocked the sword out of Kai's hand. It spun through the air, and landed point down into the ground right in front of Zane.

"Kai!" Jesse yelled. Jesse gasped, as before he had a chance to attack, a pink human had appeared in front of him. A pink arm materialised behind it, and the hand grabbed Jesse's throat and lifted him off the ground.

"!" Alister's eyes widened. "Jesse!" He disappeared in a flash of red light, and in a single instant, he sliced through the arm holding Jesse up with his sword. Jesse landed back on the ground, coughing. "Are you alright?" Alister asked, instantly by his side.

"Y…yeah…I guess…but…protect the others, too." Jesse gasped.

"Yes." Alister snapped his fingers, and a sword with a black blade appeared in his hand.

"Magic attacks aren't going to work on them." Meno said, clutching the front of her blouse. "We can't do anything."

"Ah, but what about physical?" Jesse picked up a metal pole from the ground, ran up to a pink human and brought it down upon its head, slicing it in two. "There's a delay when they regenerate." After Jesse finished speaking, the pink human was fully restored. "See?"

"Yeah, but…" Haru started, staggering to his feet, with his hand on the ruined wall for support. "That doesn't change the fact that they regenerate afterwards."

"Haru, watch out!" Selena stepped in front of Haru, her wand in her hand. In front of the two of them was a pink clone with a hand raised in front of it. Instantly, a pink blast was fired at them.

"Selena!" Jesse yelled, ignoring the clones and running towards Haru and Selena.

_I can't reach them in time!_ Jesse thought.

"AH!" Selena crossed her arms in front of herself, remaining in front of Haru. Suddenly, a transparent barrier appeared in front of the two of them, and as soon as the attack hit the barrier, there was an explosion, which forced the gang to shield themselves.

"What was that?" James yelled. The smoke cleared, and Haru and Selena were alive. Confused, but alive.

"Selena!" Jesse finally got to Selena's side.

"Jesse!" Selena immediately hugged Jesse. "I thought I was going to die!"

"What happened, though?" Kai asked.

"Haru?" Jesse looked at Haru.

"I don't know. I saw some barrier appear, but I don't know where it came from."

"I think you did it, Haru. You made that barrier unconsciously." Alister said.

"Me?" Haru blinked. "But how?"

"It's the dagger you're wearing around your neck." Alister answered.

"What?" Haru tugged on the string around his neck, pulling the small dagger out from behind his shirt, and held it in his hand. Sure enough, it was faintly glowing, until it completely died out.

_He's right._ Haru thought. _It did protect us. But how?_ Haru's vision then became blurry, and he staggered and started to fall.

"Bandit!"

"Right!" Alister was on the ground to catch Haru. "What's wrong with him?"

"He's got a fever. Take him away from here. That's an order."

"Yes." Alister nodded. He threw a smoke bomb on the ground, and black smoke surrounded him and Haru. As soon as it cleared, they were gone.

"There." Jesse dusted his hands off. "That should take care of them."

"Watch out!" Selena pushed Jesse onto the ground, just as a pink hand grabbed her throat.

"Selena!" Jaden yelled. Another pink clone made a pink arm appear out of its back, and that arm also grabbed his throat. The other eight clones followed suit, some of them using more than one arm, until everyone except Zane, Kai, Meno and James were being held up by their throats.

"Aster! Take yourself and that monster away from here!" James yelled. "We'll take care of these things!" Instantly, the giant phoenix took to the skies, and flew off into the sky. The pink monster grew a pair of pink wings and followed him.

_What should I do?_ Zane thought, eyes wide. _What should I do? Everyone is in danger. What should I do?_ Zane looked down at Kai's sword, which was still in the ground and directly in front of him.

"Ah!" Meno gasped. The final pink human was stood in front of the remaining gang, a pink arm hovering behind it.

"Kai, be on your guard." James said in a low voice. However, before Kai could make a move, the arm went speeding towards them.

"AAAAAAAAHHH!" Meno screamed, bringing her arms up in front of her.

_Slash!_

"Huh?" Meno opened one eye, and gasped. Zane had sliced through the arm with Kai's sword, and was stood in front of the two adults and Kishido. "Zane!"

"I don't know what the hell is going on here…" Zane tightened his grip on the sword. "But I will show no mercy to anyone who hurts my friends!" With that said, Zane ran towards the rest of the clones with a yell, and sliced through the arms that held everyone up.

"Oof!" Jaden landed heavily on the ground, as did the rest of the gang. "Thanks, Zane."

"Don't get the wrong idea. I'm only doing this so we can catch up to Aster." Suddenly, the clones disappeared in small flashes of pink light.

"Where'd they go?" Syrus asked, looking left and right.

"They must be linked to that monster, which means that they disappear when it's too far away."

"And that means we can follow Private Phoenix!" Hassleberry yelled, interrupting Jaden.

"Let's go!" Jesse ran out onto the street, and followed the path that Aster and the monster flew, the rest following. James and Kai, however, remained where they were.

"But…you…you've got my sword!" Kai yelled after them.

"Kids will be kids, Kai." James said, patting his arm sympathetically.

**Well, there we are. Guess how long that was? Go on, guess! The answer? 33 PAGES! I know, right? Guess I got a TAD bit carried away. Heh heh heh. Whoops. Anyway, next time: Can Aster vanquish the monster? And what about Zane? What will he do after discovering the truth? Stay tuned, and you will find out! See you then!**


	29. Chapter 29: Zane's Decision

**It's Charities Week at school! That means the Slave Auction! The many sweet stalls! The Sixth Form Uniform Swap! And…Non-Uniform Day! WOO HOO! I love Charities Week! And, to reflect my good mood, here is the next chapter!**

Chapter 29

Zane's Decision

BOOM!

CRASH!

KRAK!

"We've gotta be getting closer now!" Jaden yelled, dashing through the city, along with the rest of the gang. "The explosions are louder!"

"What about Daisy and Hiruko?" Jesse asked.

"Don't worry! Meno is staying with them! They'll catch up to us!"

"Plus…" Hassleberry narrowed his eyes at Zane. "Zane stole Kai's sword."

"Not stealing! Borrowing!"

"Um…" Jaden stopped when the path they were running on divided into two. "Which way?"

"Up there!" Selena pointed up at the sky. The giant pink monster and Aster in his phoenix form were battling it out in the air.

"That's Aster?" Zane gasped.

"I told you he was strong." Jaden said, folding his arms. The giant phoenix landed feet first on the ground heavily, causing the gang to jump back in surprise.

"Sorry, guys. I don't know how powerful this form really is." Aster apologised.

"Are you alright?" Hassleberry yelled up at him.

"Yup." Aster made an OK sign with his right hand, and the phoenix did the same. The pink monster landed onto the ground and faced Aster. "How are Daisy and Hiruko?"

"No worries! They're a-ok." Jaden grinned.

"I see. That's good." Aster turned back to the monster. "Now I can go all out." Aster's eyes glowed white, and the phoenix charged towards the monster quick as a flash and head-butted it in the stomach.

"WOO!" Jaden cheered. "GO ASTER!"

"RAWR!" The monster roared, attempting to kick the phoenix back, but it flew up into the air, and fired a blast of fire from its hand. It hit the pink monster head on, and the pink glow faded slightly.

"The glow is getting lighter." Syrus noticed.

"That means that Aster is winning." Hassleberry beamed.

"But…it's taking too long. At this rate, the city will be destroyed."

"What do you mean, Jesse?" Selena asked.

"I'm saying that Aster will have to be a lot stronger than this to defeat the monster. That means destroying the city."

"Should we try making him mad?" Syrus suggested. Everyone looked at him, confused. "I mean, he's powerful when he's angry, right? So…maybe…we can provoke Aster?"

"He does have a point." Jaden nodded.

"But what's going to provoke him enough to get rid of that…that…whatever that thing is?" Hassleberry asked.

"Who knows?"

Meanwhile, while the gang were talking, the phoenix had fired the smaller phoenixes from the tips of its fingers, and they all simultaneously attacked the pink monster with a barrage of fireballs. Each time one of them hit, the glow faded ever so slightly, until it was a dark pink. Aster made the giant phoenix raise one hand into the air. The smaller phoenix flew in a twister shape in the sky, and the fire they were made from melded together, and the result was one giant phoenix.

"Go!" Aster yelled. The phoenix obeyed, and collided into the pink monster. The monster roared in pain as the pink glow surrounding it grew even duller.

_It's working!_ Aster thought. _But it's taking too long. If I let loose, I could destroy this whole city. What should I do?_

"Aster!"

"Huh?" Aster looked over his shoulder, and the phoenix he was inside did the same. "Daisy!" Sure enough, Daisy was running down the street towards the rest of the gang, Kai in hot pursuit. She was still slightly dirty from the battle, but otherwise, she was fine.

"Daisy, are you alright?" Selena asked. "Where's Hiruko?"

"Don't worry. He's on his way. More importantly, how is Aster getting along?"

"Great!" Jaden exclaimed happily. "The monster is nearly gone!"

"But he needs a more powerful attack to get rid of it permanently." Jesse said.

"Aw, come on. Don't be so…so… hmmm." Syrus held his chin thoughtfully. "What's that word? Melancholy? Yeah! Stop being so melancholy!"

"Hey, I'm just saying it as it is." Jesse protested.

_At least Daisy is alright._ Aster thought, relieved. He turned back to the monster. His eyes widened_. Wait, what's it doing? _The monster was pointing at Aster, and a small blast was charging up at the tip of its finger. _That blast is way too weak to damage me. So why is it…? Hold on a second! Don't tell me!_

"Everyone! Get out the way!" Aster yelled, turning around in the sky to face everyone. But, the monster fired the pink blast straight after Aster gave the warning.

"Watch out!" Kai yelled, pushing Daisy out of the way of the blast. It pierced Kai straight through his stomach, much to the horror of the rest of the gang.

"!" Aster gasped, his eyes turning back to the blue colour it was originally.

"Wh…what on…?" Jaden stuttered, eyes wide.

"Kai!" Hassleberry caught Kai before he had a chance to hit the ground, and he laid him gently onto the road.

"He's in really bad shape!" Syrus turned away from Kai's injury. "He's barely even conscious!"

"GACK!" Kai coughed up several drops of blood. "D…Da…"

"Don't talk!" Jesse yelled. "You'll only kill yourself!"

"Da…Daddy?" Daisy whispered, crawling over to Kai's side.

"Da...Dai…sy…Are you…there?" Kai's right hand twitched.

"I'm here." Daisy lightly gripped Kai's hand with her own. "I'm here." She said again.

"You…you're…not…hurt…are…you?"

"Dummy." Daisy said quietly. "It's you who's hurt."

"Oh…That's good."

"What's good about that? You got hurt trying to protect me! Why would you do something so…so…reckless?"

"Why else?" Kai answered simply. "Because…you are…my…my precious daughter." Kai turned his head to look at Daisy. "You…you look just…like your…mother. It's too bad…that she can't see you now." Kai squeezed Daisy's hand. "If I ever…had any…regrets…it would be…that we never properly…recon…ciled."

"Stop it!" Daisy yelled. "Stop talking like you're about to die! It's not too late!"

"?" Kai raised an eyebrow.

"I know. Let's start over. You and me. Together. You hear me? I don't care if you turn into a cripple, as long as we can be the family we should have been from the start!" Daisy closed her eyes tightly. "Just don't die. Please! Don't die!"

"No…You have to…live for me. Okay?"

"I can't!" Daisy cried. "Not without you!"

"Daisy…I…" Kai smiled, his eyes closing. "I love you." Daisy's eyes widened. Kai's eyes were now closed, but he still wore a smile on his face.

"H…Hey. Stop messing around. This isn't funny." Daisy shook Kai's shoulder. "Wake up!" Daisy let go of Kai's hand and shrunk away. "No. This isn't happening." Tears filled Daisy's eyes. "No. Not now! Daddy!"

"Oh no…" Jaden said. Jesse hugged a sobbing Selena, and Hassleberry stared at the ground, fists clenched.

"He's…He's gone." Syrus said quietly, trying extremely hard not to cry. All Zane could do was place an arm around his little brother's shoulders.

"DAAAAAAAADYYYYY!" Daisy screamed, burying her head on top of Kai and crying loudly. Aster had seen the whole thing, and he stayed where he was, completely horror struck.

_Kai…_ Aster thought, his eyes wide. _I'm not sensing anything from him. He's…He's dead!_

"Grrr…" Aster growled, his eyes going back to their white glow. "This is…" He turned back to face the pink monster. "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" Aster yelled, a huge pillar of fire surrounding him and the phoenix.

"What the…" Hassleberry started, looking back up.

"Aster!" Syrus gasped.

"Syrus, I can't believe I'm saying this, but you were right!" Jesse yelled. "Aster's gone crazy, which means…"

"Which means this will finally be over!" Jaden yelled, grinning.

"THIS IS FOR MENO!" Aster punched the monster on its left shoulder, as it disintegrated on contact. "THIS ONE IS FOR ATTACKING OUR CITY!" The next blow was a kick to the monster's stomach, and that too created a massive hole where the phoenix made contact. The phoenix threw a fireball half the size of its own body, and hurled it at the monster, which could not dodge it, and then its legs disappeared. "THAT WAS FOR ALL THE PEOPLE YOU'VE KILLED. AND THIS…" Aster crossed his arms across his chest, the phoenix copying him. The phoenix' body began to glow white. "THIS IS FOR MAKING DAISY CRY!" The phoenix thrust its arms out, and the white glow filled the entire sky. The monster roared in pain as the light completely wiped it from existence.

"!" The gang all shielded themselves from the bright light.

"Now what's going on?" Zane yelled.

"Aster is finishing this battle!" Jesse yelled over the roar of the power that was surrounding them.

"It's so loud!" Syrus shouted, covering his ears.

"Don't worry! It's almost over!" As soon as Jaden said this, the light began to fade. "See?" When the light finally died down, Aster still remained floating in the air, the phoenix now gone. He floated down to the ground, where his feet barely made a sound as he touched the road. His eyes still glowing, Aster pointed his right palm into the sky. A yellow ball of light took form, and hundreds of small light beams shot out of it, into the sky and across the city. Some of the balls hit the damaged buildings, and a soon as they did, the buildings were repaired as if nothing had happened. The rest hit the ground, where many humans suddenly materialised onto the road, lying on the road unconscious.

"Aren't those the…?" Jaden started.

"They're the humans that were trapped in that thing!" Jesse gasped.

"Huh?" Daisy looked, still crying. "Ah!" She gasped when one of the balls of light hit Kai. Instantly, his wound healed, and his eyes snapped open.

"What?" Kai sat up, confused. "Wasn't I dead?"

"Daddy!" Daisy cried, throwing her arms around Kai, bursting into tears again.

"Amazing." Zane breathed. "He can even bring the dead back to life." Zane turned to look at Aster. The ball of light in his hand vanished, and he lowered his arm. "Is this really Aster?"

"Aster?" Jesse said nervously.

"Yes?" Aster said, looking over his shoulder with his eyes back to normal. Everyone, except Zane, looked dumbfounded. "What? Is there something on my face?"

"Aren't you supposed to…you know…collapse or something?" Hassleberry asked.

"Should I? I don't feel weak. I feel right as rain, in fact." Aster looked at his hands. "So that was the phoenix fire? Unbelievable. I can…I can remember everything that happened."

"EH?" The gang exclaimed.

"Y-Y-You can remember?" Hassleberry stuttered.

"Yeah. Every single detail. I can even remember bringing everyone back to life."

"Wait, does that include the Kishido's?" Zane asked. Aster shook his head.

"They became one with that thing, so their bodies no longer existed. I couldn't bring them back."

"Syrus!"

"Huh?" Syrus looked behind him. Meno was standing with the rest of the gang now, James and Hiruko standing behind her. "Meno."

"Give them some space." Jaden said quietly, beckoning to Zane, who stood back from Syrus.

"Meno...what's with that look on your face?" Syrus asked. Meno's eyes shone as she stared at Syrus.

"Syrus...I...I turned you into a Kishido." She said quietly.

"It wasn't you, it was Voice...Omen...Whatever her name is, she did it." Syrus protested.

"I...I'm sor..." Meno started. "..." Meno turned away, her body shaking. "I...I..." Meno closed her eyes, tears falling down her face. Syrus' eyes widened. Without thinking, he ran up to Meno and hugged her tightly.

"Syrus!" Meno gasped.

"You've got nothing to apologise for." Syrus muttered. "I don't have another side like you used to do. And anyway...now, I can protect you and Zane. So, please, don't apologise and blame yourself anymore."

"Okay." Meno smiled, wiping away her tears. "But…what about what I said earlier?"

"Huh?" Syrus blinked, pulling away.

"What's this? What's this?" Jaden said eagerly, overhearing.

"Well, I…" Meno blushed. "You know, I…I…"

"What's wrong?" Zane asked.

"I said the L word!" Meno blurted out, her blush going from pink to bright red.

"HUH?" Aster exclaimed.

"T-T-T-T-The L word?" Jesse stuttered.

"The shy Meno told Syrus she loved him!" Hassleberry yelled. "It's the end of the world!"

"Who are you and what have you done with Meno?" Jaden demanded, pointing at Meno, who blushed even harder.

"You guys are totally over-reacting." Syrus muttered.

"So…um…" Meno continued, fiddling with her hands. "W-W-What do you think? Do you f-f-feel the same?" Meno asked.

"…" Syrus closed his eyes. "Later."

"Eh?" Meno blinked. Syrus opened his eyes, smiling.

"I'll tell you when the time is right. I mean, if that's okay with you." Meno nodded.

"Okay. I'll wait for you to tell me."

"Um, sorry to interrupt this tender moment, but er…" Aster brought his hands up to shoulder height. "I can't find the silver phoenix."

"You what?" Jaden yelled, almost falling down.

"Yeah. It's gone."

"How can you have such a calm look on your face?"

"Um…I think I know where it is." Selena said nervously, raising a hand in the air.

"Where?" Jesse asked.

"It's just a thought but, maybe…remember when the phoenix fire was complete? Aster grabbed it with his right hand, so maybe…it's…"

"No way." Aster muttered, looking at his right hand.

"_She is correct, Master. The moment you grabbed me, I became one with you. In other words, my crest form is now in your right hand."_ The phoenix said inside Aster's head.

"Huh?" Aster sweat dropped. Silence. "WHAAAAAAAAAT?"

"_What's wrong?"_

"That wasn't part of the deal!" Aster yelled at his hand.

"_But how else am I supposed to merge with you?"_

"I don't want nickel poisoning, or lead poisoning, or whatever-metal-you're-made-from poisoning! Get out!" Aster shouted, shaking his right hand furiously.

"_Ha-ha! See you later!"_

"What the…you just laughed at me, didn't you? You heard him, didn't you guys?"

"Nope." Jesse shook his head.

"I think it's talking to you in your head." James said.

"Has he gone crazy, bro?" Hiruko asked Jaden.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me!" Aster exclaimed.

"Aster, if it'll help you calm down, how are we going to deal with the people in this city? I mean, they saw you flying and using your powers, so what will you do?" Zane asked.

"Huh?" Aster blinked, no longer yelling at his hand. "Ah, don't worry. When I defeated that monster, those balls of light I released erased everyone's memories of this ever happening, and repaired everything." Aster grinned. "In other words, everything is back to normal! Now, you'd better give Kai his sword back." Aster glanced at Kai, who was glaring at Zane fiercely while holding Daisy. "He's giving you "The Look". Seriously."

Fine." Zane threw the sword behind him, and it wedged into the road in front of Kai. "Now that that's done, I believe you have a lot of explaining to do."

…

Two hours later, back at the apartment

"And…that's it." Aster finished. "At least, I think it is. Um…Zane?"

THUMP!

"AH!" Aster yelled. The armchair that Zane was sitting in had collapsed on its back. "Zane!" Aster peered down at Zane. He had collapsed onto the carpeted floor, and while he was still conscious, he was so overwhelmed his eyes were practically spirals. "Are you okay?"

"Uwaaaaah…" Zane moaned.

"Information overload, huh?" Aster staggered backwards when Zane suddenly sat up.

"Of course it is! How could I not be overwhelmed after what you told me? More importantly, why aren't you overwhelmed?"

"I guess it's because I'm used to it. And let's face it, when was the last time you saved the world?"

"I'll have you know I protected one of the seven spirit keys!"

"And lost after the first duel. In short, you hardly contributed at all."

"It's not like that!" Zane turned away.

"So what are you going to do?" Aster asked. "Are you going to take Syrus back to Duel Academy?"

"No." Zane shook his head. "He's already made his mind up. There's nothing I can do to convince him otherwise."

"I see."

"Aster…I want to speak to your father for a moment."

"What? Why?" Aster asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Just get him for me."

"Alright, alright. Yeesh." Aster opened the door that lead to out of the living room. "Hey, Dad!" Aster yelled. "Come here a sec!"

"Yes?" James entered through the door.

"Zane wants ya."

"Thank you, Aster." Zane stood up from the floor. "If you please, I want to be left alone with him."

"Okay, sure." Aster shrugged. He turned towards the door James entered from, but stopped. "Ah, what the hell?" Aster turned back around, walked towards the bookshelf and pulled on the book that led to the chamber where the rest of the gang was staying.

"What the…" Zane started. "Oh, yeah. The bookcase is magic too."

"So, what is it?" James asked, walking to where Zane stood.

"Mr Phoenix…"

"Please, call me James."

"Okay... James… I have to know. You had powers like Aster too, right?"

"That is correct."

"Do you…Do you still have some of them left?" Zane asked.

"A few remnants. It's not very strong, but it's enough so I can defend myself."

"I see." Zane muttered. "In that case, I have a request."

"Yes?" Zane hesitated for a moment, clenching his fists.

"Teach me!"

"Excuse me?" James asked, taken aback. Zane looked directly into James' eyes, his own determined.

"Please! Teach me how to fight!"

…

"So, it was just a small fever? Jeez, stop worrying us like that!"

"Lay off, Jay. He's probably exhausted. Hey…" Jesse elbowed Jaden playfully. "Maybe he should wear a blindfold whenever he leaves the flat. OW!" Jesse was interrupted when Haru punched him behind the head.

"I absolutely will not." Haru grumbled angrily.

"But it's caused when you see people die, right? It'll help." Jaden protested.

"Yeah," Haru slumped onto the sofa in the passageway next to a worried Aiko. "But I'll end up fainting from walking into so many lampposts. Did you ever think about that?"

"Uh…" Jesse and Jaden said at the same time.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Aiko asked. "I heard it was a high fever. You shouldn't be walking around so soon."

"I'm fine, Aiko. I'm feeling a lot better now. Anyway, this usually happens if I faint two days in a row, and I always recover in a few hours."

"But still..." Aiko started, but she stopped when Haru placed a hand on her head.

"I'm sorry I worried you. I'm okay now." Haru said with a smile. Aiko blushed lightly.

"O...Okay."

"Hmmm...Did you see that, Jay?" Jesse asked mischievously.

"I did I did." Jaden said thoughtfully.

"But it's a little fast for you to recover, isn't it?" Aiko leaned closer towards Haru. She moved some blonde hair out of Haru's face and leaned even closer until their foreheads touched. "You're still a little warm."

"Ah!" Haru quickly turned away from Aiko, red faced. "I'm sure it's nothing. I mean, I can shrug off a cold in like three days. Yeah, it must be like that." Haru said quickly.

_Too close! Too close!_ Haru thought.

"Hmmm..." Jaden held his chin thoughtfully, grinning.

"Methinks we have a romance developing."

"Now you're face is red." Aiko said. "Are you okay?"

"Um..." Haru started, his face lightening until it was back to normal. "I'm...fine. Thanks."

"No means no Hiruko!"

"Huh?" Haru and Aiko looked over their shoulders. Hiruko and Aster were directly in the middle of the hall of the passage, glaring at each other.

"I thought we had a deal!" Hiruko yelled.

"The deal was that you'd make sure Zane wouldn't find out about us!"

"And I did just that!"

"But he found out, therefore the deal is void!"

"What about those times I helped you out?"

"You call locking me in a closet helping?" Haru yelled.

"I still say you owe me fifteen dollars!" Hiruko continued, ignoring Haru.

"Well I say I don't owe you fifteen dollars!"

"Wow. They're really going at it." Aiko muttered.

"I'm rooting for Aster on this. Definitely." Haru grumbled angrily.

"You know, Jay. They do go well together." Jesse said quietly, not paying attention to Hiruko and Aster arguing.

"Yeah, I thought so too. Hey, I've got an idea." Jaden whispered into Jesse' ear for several seconds. "Alright, play it cool for now."

"Hey, Haru, old buddy, old pal!" Jesse exclaimed happily, throwing an arm around Haru's shoulders, surprising him. "How's it goin' with ya?"

"Why are you acting so pal-y all of a sudden?" Haru asked suspiciously.

"Okay, getting to the point…" Jaden stood behind the sofa Haru and Aiko were peering over, placing both of his hands on them. "How do you fancy coming to beach with us tomorrow?"

"Huh?" Aiko and Haru blinked, confused.

"What's with those faces?" Jaden asked.

"Why…would we go to the beach?" Aiko asked.

"Because it's summer, you goof!" Jaden exclaimed. "Take advantage of this gorgeous weather and chillax on the beach!" Jaden threw his arms up into the air. "It's not every day you get sunny weather like this, you know! And we'll ask the others to come too; we could all use a break from all this fighting, don't ya think?"

"Um…I guess." Haru said.

"The beach!" Hiruko exclaimed, over hearing. "I'm in!"

"And me!" Aster yelled.

"Great! It's a date!" Jaden proclaimed. "We'll see you then!" Jesse and Jaden turned around and walked towards the corridor that led to the flat. On the way there, Jaden and Jesse gave each other a high five.

"What's with them?" Haru asked Aiko. Aiko shrugged.

…

"So…you're going home now, huh?" Daisy said. Daisy and Kai were now standing together at the top of the steps that led into the tall building that held the gang.

"Yes." Kai nodded.

"Say…what you said earlier…did you…did you really mean it?" Daisy asked, playing with a strand of hair that fell in front of her face.

"Of course I did." Kai reached up to Daisy and moved the strand of hair behind her ear. "Any father would feel like that to their daughter."

"I guess." Daisy stared down at the ground. "It was…it was sweet of you." Silence.

"Well I…I guess I should be going." Kai turned around and walked down the steps.

"Wait!"

"Huh?" Kai turned around as soon as he reached the pavement. Daisy ran down the steps until she was directly in front of Kai.

"You know…you can always, like…visit…or something." Daisy said.

"!" Kai's eyes widened. "Sure." Kai smiled warmly. "I'll be going now."

"Take care of yourself." Kai disappeared in a flash of light. "I love you." Daisy finished.

_Rumble_

"Eh?" Daisy looked up at the sky. "Was that thunder?" The clouds began to turn grey and get heavy with rain. "Looks like rain tonight. I hope Aster will be alright."

…

Several hours later

"Aster…" James started, his arms folded. He was standing to the left of a double door wardrobe in Aster's bedroom. It was pouring with rain outside in the night, and the raindrops hammered on the window. "How long are you going to stay in there"?

"I am going to come out!" Aster's voice protested from inside the wardrobe. "Just…Just not right now!"

"Come on, Aster." James sighed. He glanced at the ceiling for a moment. "You know Meno confessed to Syrus, right?" James asked. "Well…they're about to have their first kiss right now."

"SAY WHAT?" Aster exclaimed, shoving the doors open with full force. Unfortunately, one of them slammed straight into James' face.

"Ack!" James covered his nose with his hands, dropping onto his knees.

"Ah! I'm sorry Dad!" Aster crawled out of the wardrobe and onto the floor. "Are you okay? Did I break anything?"

"Ugh…That's quite a lot of strength you've got there, son." James gasped. "By the way, I lied."

"Eh?" Aster blinked. "That was a dirty trick!"

"But I got you to come out." James pointed out, looking up at Aster with one hand still on his face.

"I…I guess." Aster glanced away from James.

_FWASH!_

"GYAH!" Aster yelped. "Um…sorry, but I've got something to take care of. Bye." Aster said quickly, crawling back into the wardrobe and closing the doors behind him.

"Why are you going back in there?" James exclaimed. No response. There was another flash of lightning.

"!" James heard Aster's muffled yelp inside the wardrobe.

"Aster…" James started, removing his hand from his face, revealing a rather red nose. "Are you scared of thunderstorms?"

"M…Maybe." James stood up.

"I see. I guess you're starting to remember."

"Huh? Remember what?" Aster asked.

"When you were little, you were afraid of thunder. I think it was after you went to some hostel with your mother. Every time you heard thunder, you would freeze up and then hide somewhere until it was over. Just like you are now." James heard a wardrobe door click, and Aster stepped out of it slowly.

"I…I was like this before?" Aster asked.

"Yes." James nodded. "The fact that you are scared of thunder again means that you're memories are returning."

"Weird." Aster sat down on his bed. "I wonder why?"

_FWASH!_

"AH!" Aster covered his ears with his hands. "I shouldn't have come out!"

"H…Hey." James said, reaching out towards Aster and touching his shoulder. He gasped.

_He's trembling._ James thought. _Aster's terrified. When was it? When was the last time I saw Aster so scared and so vulnerable?_

_FWASH!_

"Why won't this storm be over already?" Aster yelled. Suddenly, Aster felt himself be pulled into a hug by James. "Dad?"

"I'll stay with you." James said quietly. "I'll stay with you until it's over."

"You must think I'm acting like a little kid, don't you?" Aster muttered.

"Not at all." James shook his head.

"So…do you know why I'm afraid of thunder?"

"No. That's something you'll have to find out for yourself. It's up to you to regain your memories. I can't guarantee it will be easy, though."

"Heh. After what I've been through so far, I'm sure it'll be a piece of cake."

"Hn. Maybe. But, I still believe you can do it."

"Really?"

"Of course. I am your father, after all. And you are my son."

"Yeah, of course."

_FWASH!_

"Yipe!"

"Don't worry." James reassured, keeping his hold on Aster's trembling body firm. "I said I'd stay with you until the end, didn't I?"

"Yeah, but…" Aster started, still shaking. "What if I become something I don't like if my memories return?"

"That doesn't matter." James smiled. "You're my son, and I will always love you, no matter what you remember."

"Thanks, Dad."

"I think it's calming down now." James said, looking outside the window.

"Yeah, I guess it is." Aster looked up at James, or rather, his red nose. "AHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Aster burst out laughing, pushing himself away from James and landing on his back. "You look like Rudolph! HAHAHAHA!"

"It's only like this because you opened a door in my face!" James exclaimed.

"Yeah, but it's funny!" Aster gasped.

_FWASH!_

"AH!" Aster yelled. "Where'd that come from?"

"Oh!" James slammed a fist on his palm. "What if we got ear plugs?"

"O-Of course! That would work! Tie this pillow on my head! Gah, it's not working! Forget it!"

"What about headphones?"

"Dad, you're a genius! Where are they?"

"Not here! Not here! Not here either!"

CRASH!

"Whoops. Whatever that was, I think I'm gonna need a new one, Dad."

"I've found them! Here!" James placed a pair of DJ style headphones on top of Aster's head.

"Ah, that's much better." Aster sighed, relieved. He surveyed his bedroom. It was now a huge mess from the frantic search James and Aster just performed. The drawers were half opened, clothes decorated the floor, the bed was unmade and a lamp lay broken on the floor. "But…we made a huge mess."

"You could always fix it with your powers, Aster."

"Meh, tomorrow." Aster collapsed back first on the bed. "It's too late into the night."

"You can hear me but not the thunder?" James said, confused.

"Yup." Aster nodded, linking his hands behind his head.

_FWASH!_

"?" James blinked. Aster didn't even flinch. "You're right. It does work!"

"Well, it was your idea." Aster pointed out. "Looks like I'm gonna sleep easy tonight." James glanced out of the window.

"If you want to remember on your own, I think going to the hostel is the first thing to do." James said. "But, you shouldn't be afraid to get the help of your friends. You're lucky to have them. And of course, I'm still here. So, don't worry about changing after remembering, because I know that nothing will be different. Okay, Aster?" No response. "Aster?" James glanced back at Aster. "Oh," Aster had already fallen asleep on the bed, the headphones remaining on his head as he rolled over onto his right side.

"Heh." James smiled. "Even when he's asleep, he's just like I was." James picked up the duvet that was half on the floor, and he gently placed it over Aster. James moved a lock of silver hair out of Aster's face. "Sleep well, son."

…

The next day

Are you sure about this?" James asked, facing the bookshelf. Behind him stood Zane, who nodded, determination in his eyes.

"I'm sure."

"Good. Because at this point onwards, there is no turning back." James opened the bookcase as though it were a door, and walked through the corridor decorated with torches and Celtic patterns. Somewhat nervously, Zane followed him. "This path that you take is full of destruction and pain. You may be faced with death, and possibly even die. Does this not bother you?"

"Of course it does." Zane answered. "But, what bothers me the most is my brother."

"Oh?" James looked over his shoulder at Zane.

"Yesterday, my little brother put his life on the line to protect this city. My brother, who couldn't even defend himself against bullies. What's worse, all I could do was watch as my brother and my friends fought that thing. Aren't older brothers supposed to protect their younger siblings?" Zane clenched a fist. "I want to protect Syrus. And to do that, I need your help."

"I understand." James smirked. "Ever the dedicated older brother I see, Zaney."

"What's with that look on your face?" Zane exclaimed. "You sound just like Aster!"

"Like father like son, eh?" James said, raising his eyebrows.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Zane muttered.

"We're here." James said, ignoring Zane and walking into a large room.

"Hey, don't ignore-whoa!" Zane was interrupted from his sentence when he walked into the room. It was the very same storage room that the gang had gone into before rescuing Daisy to receive their weapons. "Un…Unbelievable. This place is in your flat? What the…that whip has an axe on it!"

"This is the same place Jaden and his friends got their weapons." James said. "Jaden's gun, Jesse's bow and arrows and his Glove of Rai, Hassleberry's headband, Syrus' sword, Hannah's bag of sparrows, and even Aster's manacle; all of them came from this room. And yes, Jaden wanted that whip himself."

"Amazing." Zane breathed. "So…this is where I learn to fight?"

"No." James shook his head. "We'd only destroy it. We are here to determine what weapon you have. Of course, if you have hidden abilities, we are here to determine what they are."

"Hidden abilities?" Zane repeated. "You mean, like that shrimp Hiruko?"

"Yes. It could be anything."

"Oh," Zane stared up at the ceiling. "Wait a sec, who's Hannah?"

"AH-TCHOO!"

"Eh?" Zane spun around. Hannah was just emerging from around the corner of a bookshelf, rubbing her nose with her hand.

"Here I am, Uncle James." Hannah sniffed.

"Uncle?"

"Yes. She is my niece, and Aster's cousin. Also, she is the second of the two phoenix warriors; the phoenix warrior of wind and fire."

"You mean this little Shorty?" Zane asked, pointing at Hannah.

"SHORTY? WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHORTY?" Hannah yelled, fire surrounding her entire body. "I DARE YOU TO SAY THAT AGAIN, YOU BLACK BASTARD!"

"Ack!" Zane staggered back, stunned.

"Oh, yeah. Don't provoke her. If she's in a good mood, she'll give you the option of either burning you or cremating you." James said, staring at a long blue crystal in his hand.

"Don't say that with such a calm expression." Zane said, sweat dropping. "Anyway, how does this work?"

"See this crystal?" James held up the crystal in his hand. It was glowing a little bit in James' hand. "This can reflect how much power one person has. As you can tell, I have some power, but not much. Hannah, however…" James threw the crystal to Hannah, and as soon as her hand held it, the glow became even brighter until Hannah's hand was surrounded by light blue light. "She clearly has a lot more power than I."

"What if Aster held it?" Zane asked, curious.

"At my guess, the glow would fill this whole room. Now, for you. Hannah, give Zane the crystal."

"Alright." Hannah threw the crystal at Zane. "Catch." Zane cupped his hands around it, and as soon as he did, there was a crack sound. "Huh?" Zane lifted one hand off, and his eyes widened. The crystal had shattered into hundreds of shards. "Um…it broke. Is that good or bad?" Zane asked nervously.

"It means that you have untapped power inside of you. Something that this crystal is unfamiliar with. It's an older model, so it's to be expected." James opened a box on a bookshelf and shuffled through it until he held a small round green crystal in his hand. "Try this one."

"Wh…What about this one?" Zane indicated the shards in his hand.

"Just drop it on the ground and it will reform." Zane did so, and as the shards landed on top of each other, they moulded together until the crystal once again took shape. "See? Here." James threw the crystal to Zane, and when he caught it, nothing happened. After a few seconds the crystal began to glow white. "What does that mean?"

"I don't know. This has never happened before." James held his chin thoughtfully. "Green would mean that you could use elemental magic, red means shape shifting, and blue would mean your powers were that of a guardian or charmcaster. Yet this time, it is neither. What could this mean?"

"Don't you have, like, a book that tells you what it means?"

"Here it is." Hannah waved a small book the size of her hand in the air. She immediately began to flip through the pages. "Good thing I'm learning how to read. Let's see…white…white...white…white… Bingo!"

"Well? What does it say?" James asked.

"Um…it says…it says…" Hannah squinted at the writing. "Uh… Uncle James, what does this word say?"

"Let's see." James peered over Hannah's shoulder. "It says…" James suddenly gasped.

"What's wrong?" Zane asked. "Is it bad?"

"It may very well be." James looked up at Zane, eyes wide. "Zane Truesdale…you possess Lost Magic!"

**Lost Magic? What could it be? Ah, the tension is killing me! Well, stay tuned in the Easter, for we will find out what this "Lost Magic" is! (what do you think it is? Feel free to leave guesses in the reviews.) And, we get to see Aster and the gang finally start to relax. Until next time, you guys!**


	30. Chapter 30: Cardcaster

**Okay, this is me summing up the Easter holidays. Chocolate and several weeks off school, plus the four day weekend later-good. Stuck inside the house studying for my A-levels-bad! Damn, exams suck! Who agrees? Well, at least the gang are taking a break in this chapter! (Lucky punks! *grumble* *grumble*)**

Chapter 30

Cardcaster

"The beach!" Jaden yelled happily. He had come not wearing his Duel Academy uniform, but wore knee length red shorts with a yellow stripe down each side, along with a red t-shirt. "Last one to the ocean is a rotten egg!" Jaden jumped down the low wall and onto the golden sand. "Oh! Ow! Hot hot hot hot!" Jaden hopped on each foot across the sand.

"Wait up, bro!" Hiruko leapt down onto the sand as well; his outfit was almost identical to Jaden's, except the shorts were white with orange stripes down each side, and his t-shirt was also orange. "YEOW! It IS hot! Ow ouch ow!"

"Geez. That's what he gets for not wearing sandals." Jesse muttered, folding his arms. He himself had a light blue tank top with knee length white shorts.

"Says the best friend who is also bare foot." Aster said.

"They broke on the way here!" Jesse yelled.

"Well, at least you're wearing summer clothes." Daisy nodded. "Aster, on the other hand, refuses to get rid of that damn suit."

"What's wrong with it!" Aster exclaimed, cringing. "I like it!"

"Come right this way, mister." Daisy dragged him by his ear and towards the changing rooms.

"OW OW OW! LET GO! THAT HURTS! OW!"

"Are all girls like that?" Haru asked, sweat dropping.

"Pretty much." Hassleberry nodded. "Say, I've been meaning to ask but..." Hassleberry surveyed Haru's beach wear. It was almost identical to what he wore every day, except the checked shirt had shorter sleeves, the t-shirt was replaced with a white tank top and the trousers were replaced with three quarter length beige cut offs. "...are you really wearing that?"

"I can ask the same of you." Haru said as a comeback.

"Well, I er...I'm not too fond of sea water." Hassleberry said quickly. "What if you want to go into the water?"

"Oh, I highly doubt that will happen, seeing as I can't swim."

"Oh, right. Sorry. Forgot." Hassleberry apologised, rubbing the back of his head with a grin. "Hey, when are the girls getting here?"

"Later." Haru shrugged. "That's what Aiko said."

"You don't know? Aren't you, like, a couple?"

"W-W-WHAT?" Haru stuttered, blushing and backing away from Hassleberry. "What the heck gave you that idea?"

"Aw, come on! I can tell by the way you look at each other." Hassleberry exclaimed.

"We're...We're just childhood friends. Nothing more, nothing less." Haru said quickly, still blushing.

"That's not what your face says." Hassleberry smirked.

"Hmph." Haru folded his arms and turned away.

"Huh?" Hassleberry blinked when he felt someone tap him on the shoulder. He turned around, and Jesse was standing directly behind him.

"Hassleberry, don't bring that topic up yet." He said in a hushed voice. "Remember, we're trying to see if these two really do like each other."

"Oh, yeah."

"Okay." Jesse backed away with his hands on his hips. "Come to think of it, you don't know any girls other than our girlfriends."

"I know plenty!" Hassleberry exclaimed.

"Liiiiiiiiike…" Jesse said, beckoning Hassleberry to finish the sentence.

"Well, er…there's…um…" Hassleberry started, fiddling with his hands. "There's Mikoto…and uh…Millie…um…oh, and Alexis…and um…Ca-" Hassleberry's eyes widened briefly.

"Ca?" Jesse cocked his head to the side. "Ca who?"

"Er…n-nothing. Forget it." Hassleberry said nervously, turning away.

"Che, suit yourself." Jesse shrugged. He turned around and jumped down the wall onto the sand. "Yeow! Hot!"

"Phew!" Hassleberry sighed.

_That was close._ Hassleberry thought. _Any longer and I would've said Cat's name. _He looked up at the beach. Jesse had reached the others on the wet sand, and Jaden and Hiruko were pointing and laughing at him. Jesse, in response, pointed at Hassleberry and Haru while yelling at Hiruko. _They can't know about me and Cat._

"Earth to Hassleberry."

"Ah!" Hassleberry gasped. "Ah, sorry Haru. I was just, um…thinking about something."

"Really?" Haru raised an eyebrow.

"Do you really belittle me that much?" Hassleberry muttered, narrowing his eyes.

"Whatever. We'd better get down there, otherwise Jaden will be bragging that one of us is the rotten egg…or something."

"Heh. The first one gets to eat it."

"What? Ew!

…

"Lost Magic?" Zane repeated, shocked.

"Yes." James nodded, still unable to comprehend this fact. "It could be a blessing, or it could be a curse. But, it cannot be denied that, whatever Lost Magic you possess, it is extremely powerful."

"So…what kind of Lost Magic does he have?" Hannah asked, snapping the book shut.

"I don't know." James walked backwards towards the case containing the whip with the axe on the tip. "There is only one way to find out." James shoved the bookcase aside with his shoulder, revealing a small red button on the floor. He stepped on it, and almost instantly, the ground underneath all the display cases and bookshelves opened up, and the cases and shelves descended slowly into the ground as though they were on an elevator.

"What the…" Zane started, staring around him at the disappearing furniture.

"About what I said earlier; that was a half lie. This place can be used for combat. I just thought I wouldn't have to resort to it." After James had finished talking, the cases and shelves were gone, and the only things in the room were James, Zane and Hannah.

"What do you mean by combat?" Zane asked.

"Hannah!" James said, ignoring Zane.

"Get ready, buster!" Hannah grinned, holding three sparrows in her right hand. She leapt up into the air and threw them at Zane.

"Wait, WHAT?" Zane yelled.

BOOM!

"Oof." Hannah landed feet first back onto the ground. "Okay, maybe I overdid it a bit." Hannah said, standing up. "But then again, this is the first time I've used these sparrows with sight. Eh?" Hannah spotted Zane jump out from the dust cloud, still in one piece.

"What in the hell was that for?" Zane exclaimed angrily.

"This is the world we live in." Hannah said in response. "As James said, you may be faced with death, or even die. That is what we go through almost every day. Your friends are risking their lives to protect themselves and their friends, as well as to save the universe. If you want to go now, then I couldn't care less what happens to you, but…" Hannah gave a small smirk. "You'll be called a coward by Jaden and his friends, not to mention Aster."

"Who said anything about running away?" Zane asked. He unzipped his long black trench coat and threw it to the side, revealing a tight black t-shirt. He took up a fighting stance. "I'm not leaving here until I find out what my powers are."

"Now we're talking." Hannah smiled, flames surrounding her fists.

…

"Daisy, I look stupid!"

"You look appropriate, that's what you look like."

"But…But this isn't my style!"

"Oh for God's sake, the t-shirt is blue! That's your favourite colour, right?"

"Yeah, but…but-"

"No buts!"

"Yes ma'am."

"Oh, and here come the lovebirds!" Jaden said happily, beaming and looking over his shoulder. "Huh?" Jaden's face suddenly became blank with shock.

"What's up, bro?" Hiruko asked, looking towards where Jaden was looking. "Yikes!" Hiruko did a double take in surprise.

"It can't be that shocking, surely." It was Haru's turn to look. "Wah!" And it was also his turn to stumble back in shock. Before them, Aster was wearing white three quarter length trousers and a blue t-shirt with loose sleeves.

"Don't look at me like that." Aster moaned, a pleading tone to his voice. Hassleberry, Haru, Jesse, Jaden and Hiruko were speechlessly shocked.

"You know something, guys?" Jaden started. He pointed at Aster. "That…has got to be one of THE funniest things I have ever seen in my entire life. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Yup."

"Definitely."

"Uh huh."

"The funniest." Silence. The five of them looked at each other slowly.

"Pfft." Hiruko stifled a laugh.

"BWAHAHAHAHAHA!" Soon, all five of them had burst out laughing.

"H-Hey! Stop laughing!" Aster yelled.

"I…I…I can't breathe!" Jaden gasped.

"This is too much! TOO MUCH!" Haru yelled. "AHAHA!"

"Where's my camera? We have GOT to take a picture of this!" Jesse yelled in between laughs. Suddenly, a green knife whistled through the air and into the wet sand, just inches away from Jaden's feet.

"WAH!" Jaden yelled.

"That's enough boys." Daisy stepped out from behind Aster. She was wearing a black bikini, and her charmcaster bag was around her shoulders as usual. On top of her head, there was a pair of shades with purple rims, and her black hair with purple streaks was tied into a high ponytail supported by a purple bandana. "Any more of that and the next one will be at your face." Daisy waved another dagger in her hand left and right to prove her point. The boys were all silent, even Aster.

"Y…Yes, sir." Hiruko muttered.

"She's…" Hassleberry started.

"?" Haru looked up at Hassleberry.

"She so freakin' hot!" Hassleberry exclaimed, his eyes practically love hearts. "OW!" Hassleberry almost fell face first into the sand after Aster punched him behind the head.

"First my mother, and now my girlfriend?" Aster said, his fist still clenched. "Don't you have any shame at all?"

"Jesse! There you are!"

"Ah!" Jesse smiled. "Selena!" Selena was running down the beach towards everyone. She herself was wearing a bikini, except it was white and decorated with blue floral flowers that were similar to a Hawaiian print. Around her waist, there was a light blue sarong, and it was tied in a knot on her left hip, so that her left leg was more exposed than the right, and her feet bore white flip flops. Oh her head of loose white hair, there was a white sun hat with a blue ribbon around it and a blue and white fabric flower.

"Whoa!" Aster exclaimed, beaming. "She's a babe! ACK!" This time, Jesse punched him behind the head.

"Men." Daisy sighed, folding her arms and shaking her head.

"If I get a girlfriend I hope I don't turn out like you." Syrus said shaking his head.

"I'm sure you won't." Jaden reassured. "You're-wait, when did you get here?" He exclaimed.

"I can teleport." Syrus said simply.

"Don't say it like its normal!" Jaden yelled.

"Well, it is to me. Watch." Syrus disappeared in a flash of blue light, and reappeared several metres behind him, standing on the dry sand. "See?"

"Okay, fine. You can teleport. Just tell us why you're not dressed for the beach." Daisy said quickly. Syrus teleported directly in front of Daisy, scaring her.

"You're worse than Hassleberry. I can't swim, remember?"

"O...Oh. Right." Daisy looked away, smiling sheepishly. "Sorry."

"So you can control your powers now? That's great!" Selena beamed.

"Yeah. And there's something else I can do."

"Syrus!"

"Speak of the devil." Syrus looked over his shoulder.

"Wait...was that Meno?" Aster asked.

"Yup." Syrus nodded. "I can sense when she's coming. So, if she's in danger, I'll know. Meno! Over here!" Syrus waved his arms above his head. Meno ran onto the wet sand and she soon reached the others.

"Sorry I'm a little late. Oh, the others are just coming." Meno said, smiling happily. "Huh?" Meno blinked in confusion. All of the boys, except Syrus, were speechless. "What are you looking at? Is something wrong? Oh, is it what I'm wearing?" Meno looked down at her swimsuit. It was a dark blue fitted swimming costume that resembled what a Japanese middle school girl would wear in swimming lessons, complete with the dress-like shape and the small name tag on her left breast that said MENO in capital letters. "Swimsuits are expensive, and this one still fits me." Meno brought her hands up meekly. "I hope you don't mind."

"N...No. Not at all." Hiruko muttered.

"You look...You look...great!" Hassleberry eventually said.

_She looks so cute!_ All the boys, excluding Syrus, thought.

"What am I thinking?" Aster yelled, shaking his head furiously.

"?" Meno cocked her head to the side, confused.

"Don't worry Meno." Syrus sighed, placing an arm around her shoulders, making her blush. "I think you look cute like that." Syrus smiled at Meno to show his point.

"Th-Thank you."

_Syrus is so bold!_ The rest of the gang thought, amazed.

"Honestly. Why do men get so excited over swimsuits?"

"Why DO they get excited over swimsuits, sister?"

"You-You're too young to understand."

"Ah, and here they are. The two princesses." Melody scowled.

"We are not princesses here, Hassleberry." Melody was still wearing her kounoichi attire, but her younger sister had a white sundress on, along with white sandals.

"So, dress for the occasion." Aster raised an eyebrow. "Don't you have swimsuits?"

"Nope." Chloe shook her head.

"Where we come from, we don't have the water known as the sea. And we do not have the article of clothing you call "swim suits"."

"Well I…I guess that makes sense." Jesse said slowly.

"What planet are they from?" Hiruko whispered to Jaden.

"Earth." Jaden whispered back.

"Really? Are you sure?"

"Well, just enjoy yourselves here." Selena said happily. "Just stay away from my boyfriend."

"Aha!" Melody laughed. She walked up to Selena until they were just inches apart, and neither of them lost the smiles on their faces. "You do know we kissed, right?"

"It was a spur of a moment."

"He didn't kiss you, he kissed me."

"We've kissed loads of times before all that happened." While the two of them bickered with smiles on their faces, the rest of the gang backed away from them slowly.

"Scary…" Hiruko muttered.

"Jesse, if you're smart, do not, I repeat, do NOT interfere in a battle between women."

"I know Hassleberry. Oh, why did I kiss Melody when I had a girlfriend?"

"You're not too good with women, huh?" Chloe said, a completely innocent look on her face.

"You want some of this, squirt?" Jesse began grinding his knuckles of both of his fists into Chloe's head.

"AAAAAHHHH! I'm sorry!" Chloe squealed, waving her arms up and down.

"Hey, get your hands off my sister!"

"Yes, ma'am." Jesse quickly complied.

"I don't understand women." Haru said, shaking his head.

"Don't worry, Haru. You'll have plenty of time to understand, I know it."

"Huh?" Haru blinked, and glanced down at his right. "Wah!" Haru jumped back in surprise. Aiko was standing right next to him, dressed in a light yellow tankini, with the bottoms looking like shorts, and she wore a short sleeved zip up white hoodie on top. "Aiko! Wh-When did you get here?" Haru asked, blushing.

"Just now." Aiko answered, cocking her head in curiosity. "Why? Is something wrong?"

"N…No. Nothing's wrong." Haru muttered, turning away with the blush still on his face.

"Okay, is everyone here?" Jaden asked quietly, ignoring Haru and Aiko.

"Yeah. That's everyone." Aster nodded.

"Alright, listen up. Remember our prime objective; finding out about Haru and Aiko."

"Yeah, what bro said."

"You must be really bored, huh?" Selena said.

"You want to know too, right?" Jesse asked. Selena glanced away briefly.

"Well…yes…I do…but-"

"Great! It's settled! Remember your tasks?" Jaden asked. Everyone nodded. "Good. Break!"

"Oh Aikooooooo!" Meno, Daisy, Selena, Melody and Chloe called.

"Yes?" Aiko said, turning around to face them.

"You want to go to the rock pools?" Daisy asked, holding up a light yellow bucket and spade. "Look, I got them in your favourite colour."

"Rock pools?" Aiko repeated. "Doesn't it hurt if you swim in them?"

"No, silly." Daisy laughed, placing an arm around Aiko's shoulders. "You don't swim in 'em. You fish 'em!"

"Fishing?"

"Yes." Meno nodded. "There are lots of pretty sea creatures and shells in them."

"Come on, Aiko. This way." Melody and Daisy hooked one arm each and practically dragged Aiko towards the other side of the beach, and Aiko could only look left and right in confusion as all of the girls led her away.

"Ah! Aiko!"

"Don't worry about her, Haru!" Jaden said dismissively, zipping to his side. "You're hangin' out with the big boys."

"But I'm taller than you, not to mention older."

"You know what I mean." Jaden grabbed Haru's hand. "Come on!"

"You're not going to push me into the water, are you?" Haru asked suspiciously, yanking his hand away.

"No, no, NO! Of course not!" Jesse exclaimed, waving a hand airily with a grin on his face.

"We're gonna THROW you in!" Hiruko yelled cheerfully, throwing his arms up in the air.

"EYAH!" Haru grimaced, reeling back in shock.

"Oh, come on. The water's not that scary." Aster said in a bored tone.

"It's not the water I'm scared of, it's you!" Haru yelled. "Aiko!" Haru ran off in the direction Aiko went with the girls. The rest of the boys were silent for a moment.

_Commence operation!_ They all thought gleefully, a mischievous glint in each of their eyes.

…

"So I scoop them up like this?" Aiko asked, scraping at the bottom of a rock pool with her spade.

"Yup. Oh, look a starfish."

"Where?"

"It's on your spade now."

"Oh," Aiko stared at her spade, where an orange starfish lay. "Then I do this?" Aiko slipped the starfish into her bucket, which was full of water.

"That's the way." Daisy winked at Aiko, giving her a grin and a thumbs up.

"So…you all do this for fun?" Aiko asked. All of the girls were sitting around a rock pool filled with shells and small varieties of sea creatures, while Aiko was crouched with a bucket and spade, staring intently into the rock pool, with a net on the ground to her right.

"Nah, we used to do this when we were kids. For me, it's all about soaking up that sun!" Daisy exclaimed, throwing her arms up in the air.

"I…I like to build sandcastles." Meno said shyly.

"Swimming in the ocean is a lot of fun, too." Selena pointed out.

"Well…I guess. Where I come from, we don't go to any places like the beach."

"Really?" Chloe exclaimed, open mouthed.

"No way!" Melody followed suit.

"It's true."

"W-Well, I'm sure you would do all sorts on the beach. It's tonnes of fun, I'll give you that!" Daisy said happily.

"But…" Aiko started, looking down at her reflection in the water. "He can't swim."

"Huh?" Daisy blinked. "What're you talkin' about?"

"Haru." Aiko gave a soft smile. "I want to do all this with him, more than anything."

"…" The girls looked at each other. Daisy gave a smirk and a subtle nod, as if to say 'Bingo!'

"Aiko!"

"Yipe!" Daisy yelped.

"It's Haru!" Melody gasped.

"Haru?" Aiko blinked. She looked over her shoulder, and sure enough, Haru was standing several metres behind her, out of breath from running so long. "Wh-What's wrong?"

"Jaden and that damn Hiruko, that's what's wrong!" Haru exclaimed.

"I'm sure they mean well."

"They wanted to throw me into the ocean!"

"On second thought…" Aiko trailed off.

"Hey, weren't you with those girls earlier?" Haru asked after regaining his breath.

"What are you talking about? They're-" Aiko turned back around to face the girls…only to see blank spaces where they had been previously. "Huh? Where did they go?" Aiko looked left and right, but they were nowhere in sight. They were, actually, hiding behind a nearby rock, watching everything that was happening.

"Okay, right now, we lay low and see how they fare in a conversation. Then, we'll take it from there." Daisy said to the girls in a hushed voice. They all nodded in response, and turned their attention back to Haru and Aiko.

"What exactly are you doing?" Haru asked, looking over Aiko's shoulder.

"This is a…um…oh yes! A rock pool! They used to fish in these when they were little kids." Aiko answered, turning her attention back to the pool. With her spade, she scraped at the sides of the rock.

"Really?"

"Eh?" Aiko blinked when she heard a shuffling noise. Before she could say anything, Haru had kneeled down next to Aiko, looking into the pool.

"Girls like stuff like this?" Haru asked. Aiko turned bright red and turned around, flustered. "Aiko?"

_He's so close to me!_ Aiko thought, blushing furiously with her heart pounding in her chest. The girls who were watching this noticed her reaction, and looked at each other.

"Is something wrong?" Haru asked.

"N-N-No, nothing's wrong." Aiko stuttered quickly, turning back around to face Haru, a nervous smile on her face. "Have you seen my net anywhere?"

"Net…um…" Haru and Aiko were silent as they looked left and right for Aiko's net.

"Here it is!"

"Found it!" Aiko grabbed the handle of her net, and Haru's hand accidentally went on top of her hand. "Huh?"

"Eh?" Haru and Aiko looked up, and before they knew it, they were looking directly into each other's eyes.

"Kya!" Chloe squealed.

"Did you see that? Did you see that?" Daisy asked repeatedly, grinning.

"Haru?" Aiko said quietly. "Um…your hand is…" Haru said nothing in response, speechless. Slowly, his face flooded bright red.

"I'm sorry, Aiko!" Haru yelled, quickly taking his hand away and bowing his head to try and hide his face.

"No no, it's okay. Really. It felt nice." Aiko clasped a hand over her mouth, realising what she just said.

"R…Really?" Haru asked, looking up. His face has finally calmed down, but there was still a light blush on his face. Aiko was silent for a moment, but she nodded in response.

"Honestly. These two are hopeless." Daisy shook her head. "Right. We're moving to the next phase." Daisy held a communication medallion in her hand. "Hiruko, do it."

"Haruuuuuuu!" Hiruko yelled happily, jumping on Haru's back out of nowhere.

"Gack! Hiruko!"

"We're playing volleyball. C'mon. Play with us! Play with us!"

"No water?"

"No water."

"Alright, fine. But get off my back. You're heavy!" Haru turned back to Aiko. "Sorry, I've gotta go. Do you mind?"

"Um…No. No not at all." Aiko answered quietly, a small smile on her face.

"C'moooooon!" Hiruko whined, already halfway there to the volleyball court.

"Alright, alright!" Haru yelled, running after Hiruko. Aiko watched Haru go, never taking her eyes off him. She remembered when Haru and Aiko accidentally held hands, and she blushed again with a smile.

"Nice one, Aiko."

"EEK!" Aiko squealed. Daisy was back by her side again, standing up with her arms folded. "Daisy! You're back!"

"Say, Aiko. What do you see in Haru?" Daisy asked.

"Eh?" Aiko blinked, confused. Daisy sat down on the rock next to Aiko, who proceeded to do the same.

"You've known each other since you were kids, right? Surely you feel something for him."

"We're just friends!" Aiko exclaimed, close to blushing again.

"Are you?" Daisy asked, raising an eyebrow.

"…" Aiko hesitated. She started down at her feet. "Well, maybe. I…I've always watched Haru from a distance. I didn't have any powers like all the other girls my age, so they would pick on me. But, every time, Haru stood up for me. I always wanted courage like him; I admired him. But, before I knew it, that admiration became…something else. Then he went missing. I was so sad. He didn't say anything about it. He just…vanished. And then…I saw him again. But, he looked different. There seemed to be a spark in his eyes that wasn't there before. But I could tell that something had happened to him. When I learnt about his family, it…it broke my heart." Aiko looked up again, and gazed at the boys playing volleyball. In particular, she was watching Haru. "But I can tell that being with all of you has changed him for the better. Before, he was grumpy a lot of the time, and most of his smiles were forced. Now, his smiles come from the heart. He is now, well and truly, happy. Seeing him happy makes me happy too. And…I admired him even more."

"Admiration, huh?" Daisy said vacantly.

"Yeah. But then, when I came here to Domino City with you, I made up for lost time with Haru. It was then that I realised…I wasn't just admiring him."

"Oh?"

"I realised that my admiration for him was something a lot more. I realised that…" Aiko watched as Haru spiked the volleyball on the other side of the net, and proceeded to high five Hassleberry, laughing. Aiko smiled. "I fell in love with him a long time ago."

"…" Daisy stared at Aiko, stunned by her announcement.

"I love it when he gets shy and embarrassed about small things. His sad eyes, his smile, his fear of high places, his clumsiness; I love everything about him."

_I knew it!_ Daisy thought, a gleam in her eyes.

"She said it!" Selena gasped.

"She just said the L word!" Chloe exclaimed, pointing at Aiko. "Did you hear her, sister?" All Melody could do in response was nod.

"Aster, we've got a yes over here." Daisy whispered into her communication medallion. "What about your end?"

"No, nothing yet."

"Huh?" Aiko blinked. "That's funny. I could have sworn that I heard Aster's voice."

"Oh, you heard nothing." Daisy said quickly, hiding her medallion inside her bag quickly. "Say, who wants to build a sandcastle?"

"ME!" The rest of the girls all burst out from behind the rock, hands in the air.

…

"I spiked!" Haru yelled triumphantly, while he and Hassleberry were sitting on the soft sand. "That is a spike, right?" He asked Hassleberry.

"Oh, yeah. That's a spike alright." Hassleberry nodded with his arms folded.

"Sweet!"

"You don't play volleyball?" Hassleberry asked.

"No." Haru shook his head. "To play a sport like that and win…it feels really good."

"I'm glad you're having fun" Hassleberry grinned. "I bet Aiko would be happy too."

"Huh? Aiko?"

"Yeah. You know, your girl."

"My…My girl?" Haru repeated, confused.

"Yup, yup. You've got a good catch there. Very cute. Not much of a rack though."

"Hassleberry, that's Aiko you're talking about!" Haru exclaimed. "And did you just say she was flat?" Haru looked away briefly. "But she is kinda cute." He muttered.

"You dog, you. Have you asked her out yet? Come on, you can tell me." Hassleberry asked, a teasing tone to his voice.

"Hassleberry, we're just friends."

"But you admitted she was cute." Hassleberry pointed out. Haru cringed. "Come on, just say it."

"…" Haru turned away for a moment.

"She's more than just a friend. I can tell." Hassleberry continued. "She stayed by your side and refused to hurt you when you turned…well, you know."

"Yeah." Haru muttered, clenching the sand underneath his right hand. "I know. She told me all about it. She sure is brave."

"She really cares about you. You know that, right?"

"I care about her too." Haru protested, facing Hassleberry. "More than anything else. I-" Haru cut himself off from finishing the sentence. He turned back towards the ocean, stunned. "I…"

"Yes?" Hassleberry encouraged.

"I like her. No…" Haru shook his head. "More than that. I…I love her." Haru looked at his right hand. "I love her." Haru said again. "I want to protect her with everything in my power. I don't want her to worry about me, and I don't ever want to see her cry. I love her that much."

_Aster, if you're listening to my head, we've got an affirmative!_ Hassleberry thought, smiling. Aster meanwhile, was eavesdropping on their conversation with his telepathy.

"We've got a yes!" Aster proclaimed.

"I knew it!" Syrus snapped his fingers.

"Haru's in luuuurrrrrrrrve!" Jaden and Hiruko slurred.

"Don't roll your tongue like that." Jesse muttered.

"And what about Aiko?" Syrus asked.

"She said the same. We've got two love birds here, guys!"

"WOO HOO!" Jaden cheered, throwing his arms up in the air.

"Think of all the teasing." Hiruko said gleefully.

"Just one problem." Aster pointed out. "They're both too shy to admit it to one another." Everyone was dumbfounded.

"Really?" Jesse said. Aster nodded. "Ah, I'm sure they'll confess in their own time, like you did with Daisy."

"You took longer than me with Selena." Aster teased.

"Oh come on! Like a pro can criticise me on love!"

"You did kiss another girl, you know."

"That was a spur of the moment and you know it!"

"Sooooo…" Daisy asked, arriving on the scene with the other girls, including Aiko. Aster nodded, and Daisy's eyes gleamed.

"No way!"

"Really?"

"I knew it!"

"You mean you got it too?" Hassleberry asked, arriving on the scene with Haru. Daisy grinned and nodded.

_Mission complete!_ Everybody thought, their eyes lighting up with grins on their faces.

"?" Aiko and Haru looked at each other, confused.

…

"Oof!" Zane landed heavily on the ground, covered in dirt and scratches. Hannah, meanwhile, didn't have a single mark on her.

"Come on now, Zaney. You've got to do better than that." Hannah taunted, lighting up a fireball around her fist.

"Easy for you to say." Zane grumbled in the dirt.

_Damn._ Zane thought. _I've tried everything I can think of. But, she isn't even hurt. How is this supposed to unlock my powers?_

"Get up, Zane." Hannah ordered, tapping Zane with her foot. "Or have you given up already?"

"Not on your life." Zane declared, sitting up on all fours. "But, I can't understand how beating me up is going to do anything."

"Idiot!" Hannah kicked Zane so hard that he flew across the room and rammed painfully into the wall, denting it slightly. He slid onto the ground, where he flinched painfully. "I'm trying to make you find your resolve!"

"I already told you." Zane said, sitting up slightly.

"You have it, but you don't have the spirit behind it! Don't you remember what that phoenix said to Aster?"

_Spirit?_ Zane thought. _So that's what it is…_

"So where is it, Zane? Where is your spirit? Did you lose it when you faced me, or are you just scared?" Hannah's feet began to lift off the ground until she was levitating higher into the air, while Zane could only watch helplessly. "You should know that you are going to face far tougher opponents than I, and they will not hold back. There is no such thing as holding back in a fight. It's fight to the death. Kill or be killed. Can't you see my desire to kill you in my attacks?"

_Hannah's right._ James thought. _Karen, you have taught her well._

_This idiot just isn't getting it. I'm going to have to play on his feelings._ Hannah thought to herself.

"So, come on, Zane. Get up and fight me as though you want to kill me." Hannah held up a sparrow in her right hand, and it lit on fire. "Or do you want me to go after Syrus?" Zane's eyes widened.

_Gotcha!_ Hannah thought, smirking.

"I…" Zane started, clenching his teeth. "I…" Zane stood back up onto his feet. "I will not let you harm Syrus!"

BOOM!

"Whoa!" Hannah yelled, flipping through the air from the force of the explosion. She planted her feet on the wall just before she could hit it head on, and she allowed herself to slide down it back onto the ground. "What was that?" The explosion had created a bluish grey smoke cloud, and Zane's silhouette was visible I it. When the smoke cleared, Zane was standing on his feet, looking very confused.

"Um…What just happened?" Zane asked.

"Zane, look at your waist!" James gasped.

"What?" Zane looked down, and that's when he saw it. It was a black belt with six compartments similar to the deck containers that most duellists would wear on their belts, except these cases were a little smaller. "What're these? Decks?"

"Decks?" James repeated. "Of course! Zane, those decks are part of the magical powers you possess within you!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Zane asked.

"Zane, you are a cardcaster!"

"Cardcaster? You mean like Daisy?" Hannah asked.

"Yes, they are very similar. In fact, the charmcasters are descended from the cardcasters. The only difference is that cardcasters do not have a fixed element. Instead, they have different decks which each have different attributes, just like Zane does. By the looks of that belt, Zane has six decks in total. Water, fire, earth, wind, tools and aid."

"Cardcaster." Zane repeated, looking down at his new belt. "And six decks." Zane removed the belt and dangled it in front of him. Each fastener of the decks had a symbol to represent the type of deck they hold. They were a drop of water, a flame, a tree, a silver spiral, a hammer and the final fastener for the aid deck was black. Curious, Zane opened the deck container and removed the cards in them. Each one of the backs was decorated with a blue back with golden spiral-like patterns, and a circle for the respective card type. In this case, the circle was coloured black. He fanned out the cards in his hand and scanned through the names inscribed at the top, along with the respective picture of each power. "This is an aid deck?" He picked out one particular card, which showed a picture of a muscular arm, and in capital letters at the top was the word STRENGTH. "Oh, I see. It helps others as well as myself. There's even a speed card."

"So that's his power then?" Hannah asked her uncle. "A cardcaster?"

"Yes." James nodded. "But, it's going to take a lot of work for Zane to even use some of those cards."

"So, what does this do?" Zane picked out a card from the aid deck and placed the deck back in the container. His eyes briefly widened, and he then instinctively knew what to do. "Aid card: Heal!" Zane held the card above his head. The card glowed white, and white glitter-like stars began to rain on Zane like snow. As soon as some of the glitter had touched Zane, and scratches and dirt on him was erased, and even the rips in his clothing was repaired. When the glow in the card faded, Zane was completely healed. The card vanished from his hand, and the containers of the aid cards flashed white briefly. The card had been returned.

"Looks like he's going to be fine, Uncle James." Hannah said, amazed.

_Incredible._ James thought. _Nobody has ever been able to pull off that move until they had mastered at least two of the other decks. And Zane has only just received this power. He truly is a genius._

"Hey, James. I've got powers. Now what?" Zane asked.

"That will be all for today." James answered. "If you wish for further training, then come to me. I'm sure I can help you."

"Thank you." Zane said with a grateful smile. "Oh, and can I have my coat back?"

…

"Boy, we sure did make a mess." Hiruko said.

"WE made a mess?" Jesse repeated, annoyed. "We're not the ones who accidentally made a tsunami!" The gang, right now, were standing on the pavement where they had originally met up and raced to the ocean. The beach before them was covered in wet sand, fish and seaweed, and the sunset made it look more shadowed and messy than it actually was.

"You just HAD to get carried away, didn't you?" Daisy grumbled, glaring at Aster.

"Um, whoops? Heheheh."

"You made the mess, so you fix it." Melody ordered, pointing at the beach.

"Um, Melody, please keep calm." Meno said nervously. "You and Chloe aren't princesses here."

"Eh?" Selena exclaimed, amazed. "You two are princesses?"

"Um…the beach?" Haru said, reminding her of the situation.

"What the…What happened here?" Zane exclaimed, suddenly appearing beside Aster.

"WAAAAAAAH!" Everybody yelled, stunned by Zane's sudden appearance.

"Zane? When did you get here?" Syrus asked, still slightly startled

"Just now. I teleported here. With this." Zane flipped up a card to show the gang an aid card. The picture was of a black silhouette, and said at the top TELEPORT.

"Whoa…" Jaden gaped in awe at the card, Hiruko following suit.

"You've got powers now?" Aster asked.

"Aster, what in the world are you wearing?" Zane asked back, ignoring his question.

"It's not like I'm wearing this because I want to!" Aster yelled angrily. "Just for that, you're fixing the beach!"

"Okay." Zane said without protest. He reached for the decks on his belt, and his hand held another aid card. "Aid card: Repair!" A pulsation travelled out of the card and onto the beach. As soon as the pulsation glided across the beach, the mess disappeared as though it were rubbed out of a drawing. The sand was dried, the sea debris was returned to the ocean, and anything that was broken was repaired. Within seconds, it was as if no tsunami had hit.

"Whoa…" Everyone gawped in awe this time.

"So, what do you think?" Zane asked, a smug smile on his face as the repair card vanished from his hand back into its deck.

"All hail the new leader!" Hassleberry proclaimed, saluting Zane.

"Hassleberry!" Aster exclaimed.

"Um…I'm not that strong yet." Zane said modestly.

"Don't care!" Hassleberry yelled like a drill sergeant.

"Cut that out or I'll open up the ground underneath you." Zane warned.

"You wouldn't, would you?" Aster asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Nah, of course he wouldn't!" Hassleberry exclaimed, but there was a nervous look in his face.

"Wanna try me?" Zane asked, reaching behind him.

"N-N-No! No…thanks." Hassleberry turned away, grumbling.

"I thought not."

"But, it's great Zane!" Syrus beamed. "Now you can defend yourself from the Juusenshi!"

"I didn't get these powers to defend myself, Syrus." He turned to Syrus. "I got them so that I could protect people I cared about. People like you, Syrus."

"…" Syrus was stunned for a moment after what Zane said. But, he smiled happily in response.

"Oh, and Zane, guess what we found out?" Jaden stood on his toes and pulled down Zane's shoulder so that they were of equal height, and proceeded to whisper into Zane's ear.

"What?" Zane gasped after Jaden was finished. "I thought they were already together."

"Not these two." Jaden said happily. Hiruko giggled gleefully, while Aiko and Haru exchanged confused glances again. However, they both quickly blushed and turned away from each other, embarrassed.

"Hopeless." Daisy sighed, shaking her head.

**How about that, guys? Zane can fight now! Isn't it great? Well, if you're a Zane hater, then maybe not, but for me it's good! Anyway, stay tuned for the next chapter! Good life to you all, hope you haven't been too sick from the Easter eggs, and good luck in any exams you may have coming up!**


	31. Chapter 31: Bonds

**I'm at university! Awesomeness! I am soooo happy right now! So happy, that I have finally updated this story! Also, to all you Bleach fans, check out my new fanfiction titled Fate and Destiny.**

Chapter 31

Bonds

"Okay. Playtime is over. It's time to move onto to more serious matters." Jaden had his arms folded, and a deathly serious expression on his face. "And that would be recovering Aster's memory . So..." There was a pause. "Time to go through the family album!" Jaden held up a thick brown photo album with a huge grin on his face.

"I'm outta here." Aster turned around and began to leave the living room.

"Ah!" Jaden ran in front of Aster, preventing him from leaving. "Don't you want your memories to come back?"

"Yes, but there has to be another way other than looking at faded photographs. Besides, in most of those photos, I didn't even exist."

"But what about the rest of them?" Jaden whined. "Pleeeeeease?"

"No." Aster said harshly. Jaden sighed, disappointed.

"Alright." Jaden trudged back towards the coffee table, dropping the album heavily on top of it.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Aster yelled. "Don't drop it!"

"You leave me with no choice..." Jaden opened the album almost halfway through it. Silence. "Hey, is this you as a baby?"

"Huh?" Aster gasped.

"Oh my...are you sitting on a potty chair?" Jaden grinned. "Hey, Hiruko, Chloe! Take a look at this!" Just as Jaden was talking, Chloe and Hiruko had emerged from the bookcase passageway.

"What is it, bro? We're kinda busy right now."

"Busy enough for this?" Hiruko peered over Jaden's shoulder, and he spluttered with laughter.

"Is that Aster?" While Hiruko was in hysterics, Chloe looked at the photo, blushed, and turned around, flustered.

"Geez, what are you boys up to so early in the morning?" Daisy walked sleepily into the room, wearing a purple nightdress with a daisy on the front and messy hair.

"Daisy, Daisy, you HAVE to have a look at this?" Jaden insisted.

"What is it?" Daisy trotted past a dumbfounded Aster, and it was her turn to burst out laughing.

"Aster looks so cute! And that proud expression...AHAHA!" After this, Aster's face flooded red with embarrassment.

"Alright, gimme that!" Aster zipped to the table and quickly swiped it into his hands. "Fine, we'll see if any clues come from this album."

"YAY!" Hiruko, Daisy, Jaden and Chloe cheered.

"But only for half an hour." Aster said firmly. The other four hung their heads. "Okay, an hour."

"YAY!" They cheered again.

"Urgh." Aster rolled his eyes. "Budge up, Jaden." Aster sat between Daisy and Jaden, but just before he opened the album, he looked over his shoulder at Chloe and Hiruko. "Hey, didn't you have something to do?"

"Oh, yeah!" Hiruko gasped, smiling. "C'mon, Chloe."

"Okay." Chloe nodded, smiling. With that, they left the living room.

"Well, that takes care of them." Aster said dismissively.

"Hey, Daisy. Do you think there are any more funny photos of Aster?" Jaden asked, grinning.

"I dunno." Daisy said mischievously. "Let's check."

"No more baby photos!" Aster yelled.

"AW!"

...

_Okay..._ Jesse thought to himself, standing alone in his bedroom in the passageway. _Everybody seems to be busy today. Haru and Aiko are together. Hassleberry went out to the city. So did Hiruko and Chloe. Hannah and Meno are outside playing in the playground out back. Aster's father is running some errands. Aster, Jaden and Daisy are in the living room. Anybody else? Oh, yes! Melody is following Hiruko and Chloe. And Syrus is on the roof of the flats with Zane, briefing him on our situation. I think that's everyone._ Just to be sure, Jesse picked up a chair in the room and jammed it against the door handle so that nobody could come in. _Perfect. Now..._

"Alister." Jesse called out. "Come here. I need to talk to you." Immediately after Jesse spoke, there was a flash of red light, and Alister appeared on one knee before Jesse.

"You called for me?" Alister said, keeping his head lowered.

"Yes I did. And what did I tell you about bowing like that?"

"Sorry." Alister quickly stood up, rubbing the back of his head. "It's a habit."

"Never mind that. There're a few things I want to ask you. I want you to answer them as truthfully as you can. Also, if you don't want to answer them, feel free to say so."

"Right. But first, is it about my background?" Jesse nodded. "I see. That's a very difficult subject for me."

"Remember, you can always refuse to answer them."

"No. I feel as though I have hidden too much from you. You have the right to know of the origins of your glove. But first..." Alister raised an arm up and snapped his fingers. Two more cushioned chairs in the room whooshed behind Jesse and Alister. Alister proceeded to sit on one, smiling. "Make ourselves comfortable."

"Honestly." Jesse shook his head, but he sat down nonetheless. "I'm trying to be serious here, and you're goofing off as usual."

"I am who I am." Alister said with a shrug. "What is your first question?"

"Your village. How did it get destroyed?"

"As you know, we were attacked out of the blue by a rival clan that I had never seen before. Even now, I never found out who they were. Just moments after they had arrived, they vanished. Nobody was seriously injured, but as you know, my wife was killed."

"That's what I know. But, do you know exactly why she was killed?"

"An eyewitness told me everything. He said that he overheard the enemy leader speaking to her inside of our house." Alister narrowed his eyes. "He wanted to know who the next master of the Glove of Rai was."

"I see. So it doesn't get passed on along the blood line?" Jesse asked.

"No." Alister shook his head. "The master is revealed at a young age, but they are unable to wield it, and the knowledge is concealed from them until they are the able age to own it. The same age you are now." Alister's hand touched the hilt of his sword. "I had the Sword of Fujin as my weapon, so it was not me. That much I knew. It was the job of the village mystics, who are composed of women, to find out. My wife, who led them, was the only one who knew. Boy or girl, servant or noble, she knew it all."

"That's incredible." Jesse said, listening intently.

"Anyway, the eyewitness heard the leader demanding her for the information. She, of course, refused at first. But, she revealed who it was eventually, under the condition that they leave the village immediately."

"Who was it?" Jesse asked. Alister hesitated, clutching his sword. "Alister?"

"She said it was her."

"!" Jesse's eyes widened.

"As a result, she died, and the village leader left, taking the glove with him so that there could never be a master of the glove. Moments later, I found her dead and my son, who was barely past infancy, had found her before me. He was never the same after that, so I made a decision any parent would find difficult; I erased any memories he had of me and the village and sent him away to live a normal life. It was for his protection."

"But...where was he during the battle?" Jesse asked.

"I asked myself that, too. But, I found out the same time I received the eyewitness account from my messenger. It turns out that my own son had heard everything. Therefore, he saw everything, including his mother dying right before his eyes."

"Poor guy." Jesse said quietly. "Hold on a sec..."

"What is it?" Alister asked patiently.

"You always refer to him as "my son", but you never call him by his name. Why?"

"..." Alister turned away, and that was when Jesse noticed there was a different look in Alister's eyes. It was a look of sadness and regret.

"What's wrong?" Jesse asked. "What was his name?"

"I don't know." Alister answered.

"What?" Jesse gasped, eyes wide.

"I was village leader at the time. My son was traumatised by the death of his mother, and I was lamenting in regret. I had to put my responsibilities as a leader before I was a father. So, that was why I erased my son's memories and left him in a city nearby. But, due to the fact that I did it for his protection, I had to avoid him for the rest of his life and the rest of mine in turn. So, I requested for the mystics to erase any memories I had of my son. That's why I don't say his name. I can't remember. I don't know his first word. I don't know what day he took his first steps. I don't know when he called me "Daddy" for the first time. I can't even remember his face. All I know is that I had a child."

"But...the witness..."

"That was told to me by somebody else. Anything I know about my son was told by people who knew him. But, they refrain from calling him by his name. If I knew his name, then without a doubt, I would try to find him. I didn't want that. I didn't want my son to be reminded of his past ever again. It was hard for me, but it was the best thing for him."

"So...you can't remember your son? Do you know if he is even alive?" Alister responded by shaking his head sadly.

"He's probably dead now. Or maybe he is alive. I don't know."

"That's..." Jesse started, turning away.

"Hm?"

"You can't be serious. You're telling me that you sent your son away for his safety, and you deliberately forget about him so that you could protect him. Don't you ever wish to see him?"

"Sometimes, yes."

"But, you can't. You don't even know his name. You're family. You're supposed to stick together. You don't even know if your son is happy or not, and even if he is, the family he may or may not have isn't his real one." Jesse clenched his fists, and his body began to shake. "I'm not saying his family will be a terrible one, but...but the fact that...the fact that you can never see each other again...it's..." Jesse felt his eyes sting as they filled with tears. "It's so sad…heartbreakingly sad."

"…" Alister stared at his master as he silently cried. "Thank you."

"Eh?" Jesse looked at Alister, and he reached over and wiped Jesse's eyes dry. Alister smiled.

"Thank you for crying on my behalf."

"But, how can you carry on living knowing that, somewhere out there, your son could be alive?"

"Isn't that obvious?" Alister grinned happily. "I have a master to protect."

"I…I guess." Jesse muttered, although he still wasn't sure. "Well, as long as you say it's okay."

"Do you have anything else you wish to know?"

"Yes, just one more. Can the…no wait, that's not right. Is it…Is it possible for the Glove of Rai to change masters. More specifically, can the current master make somebody else the owner?"

"It's been done." Alister nodded. "It's rare, but it isn't unheard of. In fact, it could be the reason why you own the glove right now, and the reason why James had it in the first place. As soon as the master dies, the lineage automatically goes to another with the clan in their blood. So, I can assume that as soon as my wife died, the glove went to somebody else, and they must have changed the master, until it went to James, and then to you."

"Hmmm…" Jesse looked down at his hands, more specifically at the glove he wore. "Maybe…"

…

"Alright!" Hassleberry yelled happily, holding a small box above his head. "The new packs are out! And they're almost all dinos! Watch out sarge, 'cos me and my dinos are gonna stamp all over ya! Hee hee!" Hassleberry grinned, walking cheerfully along the pavement. "I can't wait to see the look on his face."

"Psst."

"Eh?" Hassleberry blinked himself out of his happy mood and stopped walking. He looked left and right over and over again. Nothing. He shrugged and carried on.

"Psst."

"Again?" Hassleberry stopped again. "Where is it coming from?" He lifted up the lid of a trash can and looked inside. "Are you in here?" He yelled into it. "P.U!" Hassleberry quickly slammed the lid back onto it.

"Over here, dino boy!"

"Dino boy?" Hassleberry peered around the corner into a dark alleyway. There stood a figure dressed in a brown trench coat with a matching hat and sunglasses. "Was it you calling me?" Hassleberry asked. The figure nodded. "I see." Hassleberry quickly looked left and right and jumped into the alleyway and into the shadows. "What is it?"

"It's me." The figure removed the hat and sunglasses. It was Catalina, though her hair was black and the cat ears were gone.

"Um…" Hassleberry looked at Catalina with a vacant stare. "Let's see…er…you're…uh…who are you?" Hassleberry asked, cocking his head to the side.

"Agack! You're telling me you don't recognise me?" Catalina grumbled angrily, her eyebrow twitching. Hassleberry shook his head. "Oh, I know the problem. Give me a second." Catalina shook her head, turning her hair purple as she did so. When she stopped, the cat ears popped up on her head. "How about now?"

"Oh! Hi, Cat! How've you been?" Hassleberry asked cheerfully.

_Moron!_ Catalina thought angrily.

"I didn't come here for social matters." Catalina said harshly.

"So why are you here?"

"Did you tell them?" Catalina asked, going straight to the subject. "You know, about what I told you."

"Of course I did. It was information we all needed. I can't thank you enough."

"I don't need your thanks. What I want to know is…did you tell them about me?"

"No." Hassleberry shook his head. "If I did, we would both be in trouble."

"I see." Catalina retracted her ears and her hair went back to normal. "In that case, that will be all." Catalina placed the hat back on her head, turned on her heel and began to walk away. "Farewell."

"Hey, hey, hey!" Hassleberry grabbed Catalina's shoulder, forcing her to stop.

"What is it now?" Catalina snapped, glaring at Hassleberry over her shoulder.

"You're leaving just like that"?

"Of course. If we were seen together, that would count as treason. I would get an instant death sentence."

"Then why did you even bother to come?"

"You know why. In case you were stupid enough to blab my name!"

_Well, that did nearly happen…_ Hassleberry thought to himself, thinking back to the beach during his conversation with Jesse.

"All the same, won't your friends notice you're gone?" Hassleberry asked.

"Oh, please!" Catalina scoffed. "They're not my friends! They're as equal to scum as I am!"

"You're not scum!" Hassleberry yelled.

"!" Catalina's eyes widened at Haslsberry's statement. "Why? Why would you say that?"

"Well…you see…" Hassleberry hesitated, fumbling with his hands and glancing left and right. "It's because I'm…well…I'm worried about you."

"But, we're enemies. Why worry about me?"

"Because we're friends!" Hassleberry answered with a big grin on his face.

_What a simpleton!_ Catalina thought to herself, scowling at Hassleberry. _And yet…_ Catalina's face softened as her hand went to her heart. _Hearing him say that is making my heart pound._

"That's stupid."

"?" Hassleberry blinked, confused.

"How do I know you're not like them?"

"Them?" Hassleberry repeated.

"Yes. People who I should trust, yet they never cared about me. Not once."

"I refuse to believe that!" Hassleberry said defiantly. "Saying nobody cared about you is stupid! Wasn't there even one person who worried about you?" Catalina looked down at the ground sadly.

"_Kitten! Daddy's home!"_

"My father did. But, he is dead…" Catalina started.

"I'm sorry." Hassleberry immediately apologised.

"_Daddy?"_

"I killed him with my own hands." Catalina clenched her fists as she spoke.

"!" Hassleberry's eyes widened.

"_Catalina! What have you done?"_

"My mother, who saw me kill him, committed suicide two days later. Before she died, her last words to me were "I don't know how to love you anymore."

"_We don't need you."_

I was sent to live with my aunt and uncle, but they refused to acknowledge me, and they abused me." Catalina then proceeded to glare at the baffled Hassleberry. "Is there anything else you wish to know?"

"I…no…nothing." Hassleberry answered, looking away from her.

"Good." Catalina turned around once again, adjusting her coat as she did so. "The next time we meet, we are enemies."

"But I still refuse to believe nobody cared or loved you. Wasn't there even one measly person?"

"Well…" Catalina started. "There was one."

"Aha!" Hassleberry beamed. "I knew it."

"_Watcha doin' on your own?"_

"It was a boy. A kind boy. He was a little younger than me, but I didn't care. I was in a tough time when I met him. I don't remember what he looks like now. I don't even remember his name. But, I remember that, whenever I was with him..." Catalina gave a small smile. "I was happy."

"…" Hassleberry smiled smugly.

"Wha…What is it now?"

"You loved him, didn't you?" Hassleberry asked in a teasing tone. In response, Catalina fell down anime style.

"As if!" Catalina exclaimed, standing back up again. "Why would you think of something that stupid?"

"There you go!" Hassleberry suddenly proclaimed. "I knew you could smile!"

"Hmph!" Catalina turned back around huffily. "I'll be taking my leave, then."

"Yup! Take care of yourself!" Hassleberry waved to Catalina, grinning. "Oh, before you go, I've got a few more questions to ask."

"Well, I am in over my head already…"

…

"Zane, why did we have to come up here?" Syrus asked, wrapping his yellow jacket tightly around himself.

"High places help me to think." Zane answered simply.

"Yeah, but can't we do it inside? It's freezing out here."

"Don't complain' Syrus." Zane folded his arms. "Now, getting down to business, I want you to tell me everything you know about the enemy. If I am going to join you in your fight, I should at least know what they look like and what their abilities are."

"R…Right." Syrus tapped at his pockets. "I don't have any paper or pens." Syrus sighed, hanging his head.

"I've got it…" Zane took out a card from his Tools deck. It glowed white, and transformed into a green pen with blue spiral like patterns on it. "It can write in the air."

"Sweet! Right…" Syrus turned his back on Zane and began to write. Wherever the pen went, there was a glowing, yellow line following it. "So far, we have met several enemies, and they have all come from the same person. That person is the mastermind behind all that is going on. Her name is Miranda." Syrus drew a circle around the name MIRANDA. He then proceeded to draw ten lines out of the circle. "Miranda is Aster's mother, and we assume, for the time being, that she's after Aster because of his powers. But, she doesn't do the dirty work herself. She has ten strong assassins do that for her. They are called the Juusenshi, and they are given numbers in order of their strength. But even if you find the number ten, don't underestimate him; the numbers are just a pretty decoration.

"Who are the Juusenshi?" Zane asked.

"Number ten used to be Mori, but Hassleberry got rid of him. I heard from Hiruko that Armstrong is the new number ten. Armstrong used to be with the army, but he quit and joined Miranda. Plus, he has a grudge against Meno and is always trying to capture or kill her whenever he gets the chance. Oh, yeah, and he's a Charmcaster. Number nine belonged to Haru's brother Sekio, but he was killed by Miranda after getting three strikes, so he was replaced by Ember. Ember controls fire, but Aster defeated her. However, we don't know where she is right now, or even if she is alive. At number eight is…um…" Syrus hesitated. "Ah, I'll just leave it blank, but it used to be Kai, who is Daisy's dad. Number seven used to be Hiruko, but he's with us now, so that position belongs to Mokuren, who can control plants and nature. Number six is still Mariko, Hiruko's younger twin sister. She has the same powers as Hiruko, except hers are stronger because she can manipulate the environment. Oh, and don't let her see your reflection. It's deadly."

"Right." Zane nodded.

"Number five used to be Meno, but we don't know who she was replaced with."

"Meno was a Juusenshi?" Zane gasped.

"Yeah. Hard to believe, huh? Anyway, number four is, um…gosh, I don't know. Let's leave that one blank, too. Number three is…number two is…Darn it, I don't know. But, at number one is Nevara. She's Haru's older sister, and she controls the winter."

"Is that it?"

"Not quite. There are several soldiers underneath Miranda, too. Haru used to be one of them, and there was also Mikoto and Millie. Mokuren used to be a soldier, but now he's a Juusenshi. The same applies to Armstrong." Syrus stood back from his writing, with the names of each Juusenshi under a branch each, along with their respective numbers. The soldiers were in their own separate circle. "And…that's all we know."

"Are you kidding me?" Hassleberry exclaimed, bursting through to door to the roof.

"AH!" The brothers yelled.

"Oh, it's only you, Hassleberry." Zane said, calming down. Syrus, on the other hand, was so surprised that he was tossing the pen left and right, trying not to drop it, until he eventually grasped it with both hands.

"What's the big idea, Hassleberry?" Syrus demanded.

"You've got gaps! I can fill 'em!" Hassleberry marched over to Syrus, snatched the pen out of his hands and scribbled over the blank spaces. "Alright. Number eight is Magdala."

"Oh, yeah! That girl with the creepy hair! She's Aster's sister, right?"

"Yeah, that one. Number three is Catalina. You know, that cat girl?"

"Oh, I gotcha."

"Number four is a new one we haven't seen before called Carmen. I don't know what her powers are, but she's number four, so don't underestimate her."

"Wait, didn't she hold Haru hostage during…"

"Oh, yeah! That must be her! And, number three is Catalina the cat girl, and number two is some samurai named Alister."

"You mean that guy in red?"

"Yeah, I think that's him." Zane hung his head and said nothing, as he knew nothing about what they were talking about.

"There!" Hassleberry stepped away from the diagram after scribbling out the question marks and writing the respective names underneath them. "That's better!"

"Alright, I know most of their abilities now, but what do they look like?"

"Oh, right. Here's there pictures." Hassleberry handed Zane an A4 envelope. Zane peered inside, and there were several sheets of papers with photographs of almost every member of the Juusenshi.

"Where did you get this?" Syrus asked.

"I have my sources." Hassleberry said dismissively.

"…" Syrus stared at Hassleberry, suspicious.

"Oh."

"What's up, private?"

"There's nine names on the chart. One of them is missing." Zane answered.

"Really?" Zane nodded, and pointed at the space underneath the number five. Sure enough, there was still a question mark underneath it. "Oh. So there is."

"Doesn't your "source" know about number five?" Syrus asked, putting extra emphasis on the word "source". Hassleberry shook his head.

"It's a mystery."

"I wonder who number five is." Zane thought out loud.

…

"I can't take you guys anymore!"

"Aw, come on! Just a few more!"

"It's not working, so no!"

"Listen to your girlfriend, bro."

"I need some air!"

"Not until we get your memories back."

"Hey, what's that?"

"Huh?"

"Where?" In that instant, Aster opened the front door and slammed it behind him before they could react. "Phew!" He breathed a huge sigh of relief. "Sometimes, they can be idiots…" Aster said to himself as he wandered down the flight of stairs.

_But even so, I have to figure out another way of recovering my memories._ Aster thought.

"Hn?" Aster stopped himself before he went down the last flight. In particular, he was staring at one door. "I haven't heard from those guys in a while." Thinking of nothing better to do, he sauntered over to the door and knocked on it. After three knocks, the door edged open.

_It's unlocked…_

"Hello?" Aster called, slipping into the dark flat silently. "Is anyone home? I live upstairs. Dan, isn't it? And Randy? Hello?" Nothing. Even in the dark, Aster could clearly tell that the place was an absolute mess. "I'm turning the lights on. Where are they?" Aster slid his hand along the wall, sliding along as he did so. "Whoa!" Suddenly, Aster tripped over a foot rest and landed heavily on the ground, hitting his head on the wall in the process. "Ow…" Aster groaned, rubbing his head. "Oh, here's a lamp switch." Aster grabbed a white cable and prepared to flick the switch, but the main lights came on before he even had the chance to do so.

"Ah, sorry. The door was unlocked so I let myself in." Aster stood up, laughing sheepishly with one hand still on his head. "Eh?" Aster looked left and right. There was nobody in sight. However, he spotted hidden around the corner a shadow of a small girl. "Don't worry. I'm not gonna hurt you." Just to prove it, Aster took of the water skin on his back and threw it behind an arm chair. "See? You can come out now." The shadow moved a little, until a large, dark blue eye peered around the corner. "That's it. I know you were probably taught not to talk to strangers, but I'm a good guy. Really."

_Wait a second…_Aster thought. _Somehow, that eye looks familiar._

"Come on. Don't be shy." With that, the girl finally stepped around the corner, through the doorframe and into the living room with Aster. "W…Wait a sec…" Aster stuttered, eyes wide. "You're…" Standing before him was Magdala, although her hair was unkept, her clothes slightly dirty and her skin looked almost as white as her hair. "Magdala! Why are you here?"

"…" Magdala looked away sadly.

"Answer me!" Aster yelled. Magdala flinched when Aster raised his voice, putting her hands on her head and trembling. "Sorry, sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." Aster glanced over at his water skin, which was still behind the arm chair.

_I'm not too far from it. If she tries to attack me, I can grab it in no time._

"Aren't you going to attack me?" Aster asked. Magdala responded by shaking her head furiously. "Huh? Why not? Didn't my…your…our mom tell you to kill me?" At the mention of Miranda, Magdala flinched again. In one instant. Magdala burst into tears, wailing loudly.

"Hey, hey, don't cry." Aster said nervously.

_Smooth, dude. You made a girl cry._ Aster thought.

"Have you been living here?" Aster asked, keeping his distance from Magdala. Magdala stopped crying and nodded, though she was still hiccupping with sobs. "What happened here?" Magdala responded by crying even harder, rubbing at her eyes with her knuckles. "Okay, okay, you don't have to tell me. I'll look into your memories. Just don't try anything funny, okay?" Aster took a few steps towards Magdala and got down on one knee in front of Magdala. "You won't feel anything." With his right hand glowing white, he placed it on Magdala's head. Instantly, Magdala's memories flooded into his head. He even heard the voices Magdala heard while in the giant tube that created her. Judging by the voices, Aster could guess that she was in it for several years. Finally, he got to the memory he was looking for.

_One week ago_

"_Magdala…" Miranda said, standing in the living room. She was in her spiritual form once again, and Magdala sat on a foot rest with her knees drawn up and staring down at her feet. "You've been in here for days now. Aren't you going to go outside?"_

"_Nn." Magdala shook her head._

"_Don't tell me you're still upset about what happened with James. He got what was coming to him. It's a pity he didn't die."_

"_He's my daddy." Magdala said quietly. "I nearly killed him when he saved big brother. What if I do it again?"_

"_You won't. You're a Juusenshi. And Juusenshi never fail. Well, they have been recently. But nonetheless, they have unsurpassable strength, and you are among them. You can kill your brother, because, my daughter, you have the power to do so."_

"…" _Magdala said nothing, wrapping her arms even tighter around her knees._

"_We have a motto to keep, Magdala. The strong will rise, and the weak will fall." Magdala looked towards Miranda. "Do you understand?" Magdala nodded. "Good girl. Now go. Eliminate the weak. Eliminate Aster." Magdala stood up off the foot rest, but she did not move from that spot. Instead, she stared at the door intently. "What is it? Why aren't you doing as I say? Kill him!"_

"_I can't" Magdala said simply._

"_What?" Miranda gasped. "Why?"_

"_Because he's not weak. Big brother is strong. Very strong. And so are his friends. They are all strong. But wait…" Magdala placed a hand on her head in thought. "If they're strong, then why are they being targeted? Why are we being attacked by them? Does that make the Juusenshi weak? Does that make me weak? Big brother is strong, so I must be weak if he fought me. But...he's going after momma too. So that means…"_

"_?" Miranda stared at Magdala, narrowing her eyes._

"_That means you're weak, momma!" Magdala pointed at Miranda as she said this. Miranda was shocked speechless after what Magdala said. But, this shock soon turned to anger. Her fists clenched, her hair began to float, her eyes glowed a demonic red around the lifeless green irises, and her body glowed with a red aura. "Momma?"_

"_HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO ME LIKE THAT!" Miranda roared, her aura becoming extremely ferocious. Her hair waved wildly around her, as did the ribbons that floated around her. The aura spread through the living room, tearing the wall paper, staining the paint, knocking over furniture and generally destroying the entire flat. Magdala hid behind the foot rest, her hands on her head and trembling as tears of fright fell down her face. "I always knew your childish naivety would not last, but to turn on me, your own mother, is something I did not expect! You're no better than your brother! You are no daughter of mine!"_

"…" Aster was speechless after what he saw. He looked down at Magdala, who looked back at him with tear filled eyes.

"Magdala, did mom really say those things to you?" Aster asked. Magdala nodded.

"_Did I do something bad?"_

"Eh?" Aster blinked.

_Was that her thoughts?_ Aster thought. _I see… She must be so shocked that she stopped talking. Poor girl…_

"Magdala…" Aster started, reaching out towards her, prompting Magdala to close her eyes tightly, bracing herself for what was to come. However, she opened her eyes in surprise when Aster patted her on the head.

"You didn't do anything wrong, you hear? You had your head filled with lies. Mom took advantage of your innocence, and that's something I can't forgive her for. No, she can't be our mother. I may not remember her, but I know that she would never do that to her own child." Aster removed his hand from Magdala's head and straightened out the bow under her collar. "You've been through a lot haven't you? And let's face it; I haven't exactly been the best brother in the world to you. But, from now on, I want to be a real big brother to you." Aster looked directly into Magdala's eyes, which were so similar to his own. "So, would it be okay if I stayed?"

"…" Magdala nodded.

"Really?" Aster asked, smiling a little. Magdala nodded again. "Thank you."

"_But momma is still mad at me, so I'm sad."_

"That's alright. I'm going to sort this out. Whatever has taken over our mother, I'm going to do my best to get her back. Then, she won't be mad at you anymore. If she gets back to normal, then you can live with us forever. Like a proper family."

"_Family? What's that?"_

"Family? Well, let me think…Family is…Family is a group of people who are extremely close and care about each other very much. They don't have to be related by blood, either. They can even be a group of close friends."

"_Does that mean your friends are your family, too?"_ Magdala asked in her thoughts.

"Yeah…" Aster smiled to himself. "I guess they are."

"_Big brother?"_

"Yeah?"

"_I'm confused."_

"Why?" Aster asked.

"_I'm not sad or scared, but my eyes… there's water coming out of them."_

"Ha-ha! That's a cute way of putting it! And that just means you're happy. You can cry from happiness, too." Aster patted Magdala's shoulder. "It's okay. You don't have to hold it in. I'm here."

"WAAAAAAAHHH!" Magdala bawled, clinging onto Aster's jacket, while Aster gently hugged Magdala in return.

"You don't have to be afraid anymore. I'm going to stay by your side from now on. That's a promise as your brother." Aster held Magdala's shoulders and pulled her away from him. "So no more crying, okay? I hate seeing a girl cry." Magdala sniffed and wiped at her face with her arm until it was completely dry. "So, what do you say we make this place look presentable?" Magdala nodded. Aster stood up and surveyed the flat, scratching his head. "Wow. Mom went berserk. I guess I'll use my ol' telekinesis."

"_Let me help."_ Magdala's hair began to wave around her body.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey!" Aster yelled, grabbing Magdala's hair into a bunch. "That's dangerous!"

"_But you were going to use your powers, big brother."_

"Yeah, but yours are kinda deadly. For all I know, it could make an even bigger mess." Magdala looked down sadly. "I mean, it's not your fault, but that's just the way it is." Aster spotted several elastic bands on the floor. He picked them up and, still holding onto Magdala's hair, tied it up in a ponytail with one, and tied the rest of the elastic bands down it, creating a stiff ponytail. "While I'm around, that hair is grounded."

"_I'm sorry."_

"It's not your fault." Aster insisted. He snapped his fingers. The room immediately began to tidy itself up, and in almost an instant, any rips and tears were repaired, the furniture was upright, the broken glass was repaired, and everything genuinely looked brand new. "There."

"_Big brother?"_

"What is it?"

"_I'm…"_ Before Magdala could finish, her stomach gave off a loud growl.

"Oh, you're hungry!" Magdala nodded, a little embarrassed. "Let's see what you've got!" Aster strolled into the kitchen, rolling up his sleeves. He opened a cupboard, only to find nothing in there. "Empty." He moved to the next one. "Empty." He checked another cupboard. "What about the fridge?" He opened the fridge area of the white fridge freezer. Nothing. "Geez, what kind of mother leaves her daughter with no food?"

"_There was some in there, but I ate it."_ Magdala walked into the kitchen, fiddling with her hands. Aster closed the fridge, pulling his sleeves down.

"That's alright. I'm pretty crap at cooking anyway." He looked back at Magdala. "Whatever the case, you can't stay here any longer."

"_Huh?"_

"Grab your things. You're moving in with me."

"!" Magdala let out a small gasp at Aster's sudden decision.

"I'll talk to Dad about it. I'm sure he'll let you in. Besides, this apartment belongs to somebody else."

"_Not anymore…"_

"What are you…You didn't kill them, did you?" Aster asked. Magdala nodded sadly. "Geez." Aster placed a hand on his head. "I guess it can't be helped. That happened a while ago now. Where did you put the bodies?" Magdala pointed at another door. "In the closet?" Aster opened the door a little, only to recoil away from it. "Ah! Aw! Dammit, it stinks in there!" Aster exclaimed, hands over his nose. "How long have they been in there? Never mind, don't answer." Aster pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. "I suppose I should dispose of them properly." Aster dialled a number and brought it to his ear. "Hello, police? I've found some dead bodies in their apartment…Yeah…Yeah…Number 23…I was, um…visiting a friend here and their door was a little open so I had a look…They're in a closet in the kitchen…Alright, thank you." With that, Aster hung up. "Alright, the police will take care of this. Now…" Covering his nose with one hand, Aster went back into the closet. "Ah." He plucked two long white hairs from each of their bodies. He left the closet and closed the door.

"_What did you do?"_

"I removed your hairs from their bodies. We can't have you with the police. Not at your age."

"_Thank you."_

"Grab your stuff. We've got fifteen minutes to leave, otherwise we'll be suspects."

…

"Okay, have you got everything?" Aster asked. Magdala and Aster stood outside her former home with the large white suitcase, while Magdala adjusted the strap of her white shoulder bag. Magdala looked up at Aster and nodded.

"What's in that bag?" Aster pointed at the shoulder bag.

"_Money."_

"It looks a little full to be just money." Aster said, taking the bag from Magdala. "Let's have a look." Aster unbuttoned the pouch and looked inside. "Holy mackerel!" Aster exclaimed. "There's gotta be thousands in here!"

"_Big brother?"_

"What is it?"

"_What's money?"_

"You're telling me mom left you with this much cash, and she didn't tell you what money was?" Aster muttered. Magdala shook her head. "She's hopeless." Aster sighed, placing the bag back around Magdala's body. "But, it shows one thing."

"_What?"_

"It means that she loves you. She loves you like a mother."

"…" Magdala smiled at what Aster said, reassured.

"Right, let's get your bag upstairs." Before Aster could move, Magdala grabbed a handle on the suitcase and began dragging it across the floor. "Um…Let me do that." Aster moved Magdala's hand off the suitcase and slinging his water skin back on, grabbed the suitcase. "This is a job for big brother! Damn, this is heavy…"

Several minutes later

"Hey, Dad. You home?" Aster yelled out, entering the living room. Magdala was in tow, hiding behind Aster and clinging to his suit.

"Oh, Aster." James emerged from the kitchen, smiling. "I was just putting the groceries away. Could you give me a hand?" While James spoke, Magdala peered around Aster at him.

_Daddy…_She thought. _He's okay…_

"Yeah, in a minute. But…there's something I want to ask you." Aster said nervously.

"What is it?" James asked. "Hm?" That was when he spotted the large blue eye peering around Aster. The eye widened, and went back behind Aster. "Aster, who's that behind you?"

"It's okay." Aster said quietly to Magdala. "You don't have to hide." Magdala hesitated, refusing to let go of Aster. But, nonetheless, she slowly peered around Aster until she could fully see James, and James could fully see Magdala.

"Magdala…" James said slowly.

"Now, I know what this looks like, but hear me out." Aster said, bringing his hands up. "She's been living downstairs this whole time, but mom just abandoned her after Magdala um, how should I put this…Magdala made mom mad and she left her alone. I couldn't just leave her. She's family. I know she nearly killed you and all, but she didn't mean it. It was an accident. Really. I-"

"Stop."

"Huh?" Aster blinked.

"You don't have to explain." James said. "She didn't mean it when she attacked me. I guessed that. After all, she was conditioned to attack and kill, yet when faced with a parent, she realised what she was doing was wrong. Am I right?" Magdala nodded. "Besides, it's just as you said, Aster; she is your sister…and she is my daughter." James walked over to Magdala, who moved a little more behind Aster nervously. James got down on one knee in front of Magdala.

"…" Magdala could only stare at James. He smiled at her.

"I'm sorry a pointed a gun at you." James apologised. "I wasn't thinking straight. But, like Aster, I'm going to start anew. Alright?" Magdala nodded.

"She can't talk." Aster said. "She lost her voice."

"I see…Then, I guess we should help her get it back. Let's start with introductions." James held out his hand to Magdala, who after some hesitation, held it with her small hands, keeping the other one on Aster's jacket. "Hello. My name is James. What's your name?"

"…" Magdala's lips moved, but no sound came out. She looked away sadly.

"It's okay." James reassured, letting go of Magdala's hand. "Miranda can't hurt you here."

"What do we do?" Aster asked.

"She's just missing one thing." James said. "The real love of family. And we are here to provide it." James patted Magdala's head, making her blink and look back at James. "Magdala…" James smiled happily at her. "We love you. Aster, your mother and I. We love you so much."

"!" Magdala's eyes widened.

"_We would be a proper family… and everyday…you and momma would say… "Magdala, we love you so much.""_

"…"

"Hm?" James leaned closer to Magdala.

"I…" Her tiny voice whispered. Fresh tears filled her eyes. "I love you too…" She finally let go of Aster and jumped into James' arms, bawling, while James returned the embrace.

"You see?" James said to Aster. "All she needed was a little love."

"Yeah." Aster nodded, smiling. "Dad…Tomorrow, I am going to the hostel. I think that could answer some questions about my past."

"Alright. But, remember…" James, still holding the crying Magdala, looked up at Aster. "I'm always here for you."

"So are we!" Jaden yelled happily, bursting out from behind the bookcase.

"AH!" James and Aster yelled.

"Jay, don't scare us like that!" Aster yelled.

"Well, that's what you get for leaving us." Jaden said huffily.

"Yeah. We never finished looking at the photos." Daisy whined, peering behind Jaden with the photo album still open.

"Daisy, I love you, but I'm in the middle of something right now."

"Hey, I didn't know you were in a nativity." Daisy said, looking in the album while completely ignoring Aster. "Aaaaaw, you're dressed up as Joseph!"

"Bring that over here." James said, standing up while holding Magdala's hand.

"Um…okay." Daisy wandered over to James, holding the album.

"Yes, thank you." Aster said. "I'm glad you're on my-"

"The year after that, Aster was an angel." James said, pointing at another photograph.

"Dad!" Aster yelled, embarrassed. "Dammit, don't I have a voice here?"

"Yes, but it's a parent's job to embarrass their children." James said happily.

"Let me see, let me see!" Magdala jumped up and down to see the album, and James lowered the book down to her eye level. "Aaaahh, big brother looks so cute!"

"Somebody, please kill me now."

…

"So, Magdala…" Miranda said, staring into her font, which showed James, Daisy , Jaden, Aster and Magdala in the living room. "You went with the enemy."

"Somebody, please kill me now." Aster groaned inside the font.

"Aster…"

"Miss Miranda?" Catalina entered the room, without her disguise and keeping her distance from Miranda. "You summoned me?"

"Yes." Miranda said, not turning away from the font. "I have a task for you. I have told Nevara and Alister already, and I shall inform the rest of the Juusenshi in due time. Tomorrow, Aster shall discover his forgotten past. When his memory is recovered, then we can begin."

"You mean…" Catalina gasped.

"Yes." Miranda turned around to face Catalina, smiling. "Tomorrow, we shall steal the phoenix fire."

"Understood. I shall prepare myself for then." Catalina bowed to Miranda, and turned around to leave.

"Oh, and another thing, Catalina."

"Yes, Miss?" Catalina turned back around.

"Keep your eye on Alister. He's been rather…suspicious. It must be because that boy has the Glove of Rai."

"You mean Jesse?"

"Precisely." Miranda walked towards Catalina. "That man takes his duties as clan leader too seriously, when he left it all those years ago to find the master of the glove." Miranda stopped walking when she was inches away from Catalina. "Also…" Miranda leaned down and whispered into Catalina's ear.

"What?" Catalina gasped, wide eyed.

"That information is something even Alister doesn't know." Miranda moved back from Catalina, yet she remained where she was. "That was also another order. Should Alister show signs of treason, then you have my permission…" Miranda narrowed her eyes. "To kill that person."

"Yes, Miss Miranda." Catalina nodded.

"Also…" Miranda smirked, which made Catalina shiver. "If I were you, I'd make sure you kept your feet dry."

"!" Catalina's eyes widened at Miranda's statement. Miranda began to walk past Catalina, pausing when she was by her side.

"That is all."

_Does she know?_ Catalina thought. _Did she find out about what I did?_ Miranda moved to the door, opening it and shedding light in the dark room.

"I've got my eye on you…kitten." Catalina flinched at the sound of that nickname, and the door shut, leaving Catalina in the room all alone, except for the light illuminating the font.

"How did she find out?" Catalina whispered.

Alright, calm down. Catalina thought. She couldn't have found out already. But…this is Miranda. She's capable of anything. After all, she's trying to kill her family.

"I'll have to be careful from now on."

**Well, how was that? Sorry it took a while. Next time, Aster journeys alone to discover his past once and for all, and Miranda leads an assault on Aster. Will she steal the phoenix fire as planned? Stay tuned to find out!**


End file.
